Content Analysis of the Status and Place of Sexuality Education in the National School Policy and Curriculum in Tanzania.

Abstract

In Tanzania, sexuality education in schools is not provided as a standalone subject; rather it is mainstreamed in other subjects, namely Social Studies, Science, Civics and Biology. However, it is not clear how much sexuality education is covered in these subjects. The purpose of this study was to examine the status of sexuality education in the Tanzanian national school curriculum. In order to discern the amount and nature of sexuality education in the school curriculum, the syllabi for the above subjects were subjected to content analysis. The results have revealed three major trends of school-based sexuality education delivery in Tanzania. First, only a few aspects of sexuality education, particularly in the area of HIV/AIDS, are covered in the Tanzanian national school curriculum. Second, a greater part of sexuality education is covered during secondary education level, which is arguably too late given that sexuality education works effectively if it is provided early before young people reach puberty, in this case during primary education level. Third, the current sexuality education delivery mainly focuses on knowledge, and little attention is paid to the other aspects of sexuality education, namely skills and relationships and attitudes and values. Key words: Sexuality education, HIV/AIDS, school curriculum, guidelines, Tanzania.