Question NW1389 to the Minister of Basic Education
19 November 2019 - NW1389
Boshoff, Dr WJ to ask the Minister of Basic Education
(1)Whether her department has commenced with a consultation process with parents and teachers regarding the implementation of comprehensive sexual education; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, (2) whether a timeline for the roll-out of the learning material for comprehensive sexual education has been finalised; if not, why not; if so, (3) whether she unequivocally declares that comprehensive sexual education will not be implemented with the commencement of the 2020 academic year; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, (4) whether she will make a statement on the matter?
Reply:
(1) Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) has been included in the curriculum since 2000. The Department of Basic Education (DBE) is thus not introducing a new curriculum. The DBE has just initiated a process to strengthen the teaching of CSE in Life Skills (LS) and Life Orientation (LO). In this regard, Scripted Lesson Plans (SLPs) were developed and tested in over 1 500 schools in 5 provinces. The testing process included the orientation of School Governing Bodies (SGBs) and School Management Teams (SMTs), the training of teachers as well as the sensitisation of parents.
Parents, communities of trust, scholars, NGOs and Christian-Based Organisations have raised their concerns about the explicit content and pictorial/ diagrammatic representations in some of the SLPs. The Department is hard at work to address all the concerns raised to the extent necessary.
(2) Timelines for the full implementation of the SLPs in all schools have not yet been finalised. Full implementation of the SLPs across all grades is only envisaged for 2021.
(3) As indicated, in response 1, CSE has been part of the curriculum since 2000. The implementation of CSE will thus continue.
(4) I, as the Minister of Basic Education, will make a public statement once all preparations for the full roll-out of the SLPs are finalised.