Teachers’ and Students with Disabilities’ Perception of Sexual and Reproductive Health Education in Secondary Schools in Tanzania

Abstract

This chapter is based on an investigation of teachers’ and students’ perception of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) education in secondary schools in Tanzania. The investigation aimed at: (i) exploring teachers’ and students’ views on SRH education in secondary schools; (ii) examining students’ and teachers’ opinions on the relevance of SRH education for students in secondary schools; and (iii) exploring the challenges of teaching SRH education to students in secondary schools. The study was conducted in secondary schools in the Mara and Tanga Regions in Tanzania. Purposive sampling technique was employed to obtain 84 respondents comprising teachers and students. This study adopted a case study research design and data were collected through interviews and documentary review. The findings revealed that the majority of teachers and students with disabilities perceive that SRH education is important for learning in secondary schools in Tanzania. Teachers and students with disabilities believed that teaching of SRH education is important for good health and as a control mechanism for the behavior of adolescents. Furthermore, the findings revealed that SRH education is suitable for students 13–17 years of age because of their transition period from adolescence to adulthood. In addition, it was found that cultural practices did not hinder students from learning SRH education. It is therefore concluded that SRH education was perceived as vital for health and behavior control. The study recommends that secondary schools should educate students on the importance of SRH education. Also, the government should invest in training teachers on how to teach SRH education.