DepEd integrates RH education in K-12 program

Reproductive health education has been integrated in the basic education curriculum under the K-12 program, the Department of Education (DepEd) said yesterday.

Students as young as seven years old – or those in Grade 1 – will now have “age- appropriate, developmental and culture- sensitive” sexuality education to ensure that they are protected from sexual exploitation.

“( Grade 1) learners are taught about ‘ good touch’ and ‘bad touch,’ which helps them avoid becoming victims of other people’s unwanted behavior,” the agency said in a statement.

DepEd adolescent reproductive health focal person Rosalie Masilang said children at this age are most vulnerable to abuse and exploitation, stressing the need for them to understand that they have the right to refuse attempts to take advantage of their youth.

The education department said the move to include sexuality education is in line with the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law of 2012, which mandates the provision of an age- and development-appropriate reproductive health education for adolescents.

DepEd dispelled concerns that reproductive health education would focus on the sex act, saying it would instead focus on the science of reproduction, physical care and hygiene, correct values and the norms of interpersonal relations to avoid pre-marital sex and teenage pregnancy.

“Sexuality education can be integrated in the curriculum in two ways – natural and purposive. Learning areas where natural integration is possible are Science, Health, Araling Panlipunan and Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao. Purposive integration can be done in learning areas like Mathematics and Language,” said the agency.

Topics covered include parts of the body, reproductive system, reproductive cycle and puberty in Science; personal hygiene and reproductive health in Health; issues such as gender and sexuality, the Reproductive Health Law, samesex marriage, prostitution and gender-based violence in Araling Panlipunan, and topics about developmental tasks and actions during puberty and families’ mission on educating and shaping the faith of the learners in Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao.

“Furthermore, mathematical analysis and statistics, and grammar and vocabulary enhancement in Mathematics and Language classes, respectively, can be taught using data and texts on issues like teenage pregnancy, premarital sex and sexually transmitted infections,” DepEd said.