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Primary and Secondary Education Minister Dr Lazarus Dokora on Wednesday said the Government does not intend to dish out condoms in schools and instead urged parents who were concerned about the sexual activities of their children to do so.
Debate has been raging on social media circles after rumours that the Government had announced intentions to make condoms available in schools in response to concerns that children were having sexual relations at an early age.
But Dr Dokora told the National Assembly during the question and answer session that the Government would not be dishing out condoms to school children.
“As a society we have created social institutions that we call schools to nurse positive attitudes to prepare them for adulthood,” he said.
“Education must promote Hunhu/Ubuntu. No condoms in schools,” he said as his voice was droned by noise that was being made by members of Parliament.
Dr Dokora said parents were a critical part of a child’s education and should be intimately involved in the process.
He said the Government would not therefore back down to pressures to give school children condoms in schools.
Dr Dokora said parents who were concerned about provision of condoms for their children should instead include them when they packed their children’s school backpacks.
“We do not separate the parent from education. There should be no expectation that the school system must deliver condoms to school children,” he added.
Movement for Democratic Change legislator Dr Ruth Labode, however, said it was critical that sex education be taught in schools.
“We have to acknowledge that early sex is rampagnt in schools,” she said.
Dr Labode, however, attracted the wrath of Dr Dokora when she said high cases of sex were linked to low pass rate in some schools.
The education minister dismissed the insinuation, urging the legislator to carry out proper research on the matter. – New Ziana
Online Reporter
Bongani Ndlovu