Top Stories»
Birdsy-beesy stuff has girls uneasy
KATHMANDU, JUN 05 -
Though sexual and reproductive health is part of their secondary level curriculum, girl students in grades IX and X shy away from the subject, with most of them anxious to avoid asking questions on the subject.
Teachers handling the Environment, Health and Population (EPH) subject say this is indeed a problem. They add that this factor requires serious attention. They attribute the inhibition to age-old traditions of viewing reproductive and sexual issues as “taboo”.
“In my class, the boys do ask questions but girls hesitate,” said Sangeeta Shrestha, an EPH teacher at V.S. Niketan. “This unequal participation has made lessons quite ineffective.” Most Nepali students at the secondary level learn formally about sexual and reproductive health issues when they reach grade IX. No textbook below grade IX has explicit or detailed information on the issues.
According to UNICEF statistics (2003-2008), 28 percent of females have comprehensive knowledge of HIV while female contraceptive prevalence is 48 percent. A United Nations Population Fund study shows 19 percent of maternal mortality in Nepal occurs in women below 20, and that is mainly because of low level of education and awareness on sexual and reproductive health. Female students acknowledge the importance of the issues but hesitate to clear their doubts due to “funny comments” from male classmates. Another factor behind the unease could be the fear of being perceived as “overcurious” on such a “taboo matter”.
“I don’t ask questions because boys might just laugh at me and judge me as someone who is too forward in matters of sex,” said Smrity Paudel, a ninth grader.
On the other hand, male students say one way to “release” the unease about such subjects is to laugh out loud over these. “Initially, we used to laugh at and raise unnecessary questions on the topic, but we don’t do it any longer,” said Shailesh Thapa, a ninth grader.
Teachers say discussion on the subject at home can encourage girls to shed such inhibitions. “Parents should encourage their daughters to discuss such matters openly,” Shrestha said.
“Mutual respect among students can help in learning lessons on the issue,” said Kunsang Wangmo Hyalmo, a 10th grader.
Health experts say this inhibition in females might make them inefficient in dealing with sexual and reproductive issues later. “If they don’t know about menstrual hygiene, unsafe abortion and unsafe sex, they might face long term medical and social problems,” said Dr. Shilu Artal, a senior gynaecologist.
Posted on: 2010-06-06 07:24
Headlines
Advertisements
