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At times, parents get enraged in this talk because of their passion towards their children and end up losing the whole object of the debate. The question still stands: Should condoms be distributed to pupils in schools? Or should we further ask: Why should condoms be distributed to schools?
According to the Zimbabwe Demographic Health Survey (ZDHS) 2011, Zimbabwe had the highest condom use in the last five years worldwide. This could be one of the contributing factors to the reduction of the HIV prevalence rate in the country.
A recent report by our sister paper, The Herald, read “. . . Zimbabwe has 1,3 million people living with HIV and Aids of whom 510 000 are on anti-retroviral treatment”. With this in mind, more and more efforts need to be effected to fight the scourge.
New cases of HIV infections among teens are being recorded daily. The after-effects of sexual activity by school-going children has been shown through pregnancies and prevalence of STIs.
Some schools have had students embroiled in sexual orgies. This is further proof that sex is, indeed, happening in schools. With that in mind the question becomes: What should we do to stop or reduce the after-effects — HIV infection, and unplanned pregnancies?
Can condom distribution in schools be a wise move? I think the answer is an emphatic “no.”
Some authorities hold opposing views about this matter, like Douglas Kirby in his 2011 paper for the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs. He says: “. . . sex education programmes that are based on a comprehensive curriculum can delay the onset of sexual activity among adolescents and young people, reduce the frequency of intercourse, reduce the frequency of unprotected sex, reduce the number of sexual partners, and increase condom and contraceptive use. Furthermore, sex education programmes do not increase sexual activity among adolescents and young people and generally result in increased knowledge about human sexuality. To be effective, sex education programmes need to provide unbiased and scientifically based information; explain the various practices and methods that can reduce the risks of pregnancy and of acquiring a sexually transmitted infection during intercourse; discuss values, perceptions and norms; and use methods validated by pedagogy and behavioural-change science to build the skills that adolescents and young people need in order to make responsible decisions about their sexual behaviour and follow through with those decisions.”
Kirby supports sex education in schools, and provision of condoms as he actually points out that such education reduces “the frequency of unprotected sex, reduces the number of sexual partners, and increases condom and contraceptive use.”
I disagree with this view totally. Giving condoms to schoolchildren is giving them an apparatus to freely engage in sex.
Most parents will agree that virginity must be treasured, never mind that this could sound archaic for some youths.
Studies show that the more a person indulges in illicit sex, the more their distrust grows even in their formal marital life and the more their chances of contracting HIV and STIs.
The danger in this debate is that for the purpose of justifying the cause for condom distribution, we tend to use blanket statements. To think that every schoolchild is involved in sexual activity is a skewed and misguided notion. In a sense, we could be promoting negative behaviour than we would do for positive behaviour if we distributed condoms in schools!
Indeed, a child spends more time at school than at home. As a result teachers spend more time with children than the kids spend with their parents. In this context therefore, teachers should take an aggressive stance in sex education.
This will help children invest more time in developing healthy relationships and in making informed decisions. This therefore calls for teachers not only to be trusted sources of information, but also to be very instrumental in influencing children to be responsible members of society and help them invest wisely for the future. Schoolchildren themselves need to be more responsible. If they are unable to control their sexual whims at a tender age, what would stop them in engaging in extra-marital affairs in their marital life?
Sex, which, I agree, has almost become some kind of extra-curriculum activity at some schools, tarnishes the learning environment. If we give children the go-ahead with condoms we are saying “have sex and have it safe,” which is wrong. Safe sex messages to children have never been any safe to our cultures, norms, identity and marital destiny. In the final analysis, distributing condoms is fundamentally wrong.
Talking of alcohol in schools, I have never heard a statement like “drink alcohol but with precautionary measures”. The outright statement is: “No alcohol for persons under 18 years.” Why not categorically say so when it comes to sex issues? We never give a driver’s licence for people under 16 years of age, how do then trust them with a condom?
l Jonah Nyoni is development journalist and motivational speaker. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: www.jonahnyoni.blogspot.com. Tel: 0772 581 918
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