Sexuality education in South Africa: Whose values are we teaching?

Abstract

This article presents a critical discussion on how teachers teach sexuality education in South African schools. Using data collected from classroom observations and in-depth interviews with Life Orientation teachers, it focuses on how values and comfort play out in the teaching of sexuality education. I argue that teachers teach sexuality while inserting their values in ways that undermine the key points of a comprehensive sexuality education curriculum. Also posited is the distinction between comfort and values and the overlap of each in relation to whether and how different aspects of sexuality education are taught. The article concludes this with a brief description of the future directions that teacher education and classroom practices in sexuality education might take.