The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Youth and Social Development, Mrs. Toyin Oke-Osanyintolu, has disclosed that the state government in conjunction with the United Nations Population Fund have trained special need instructors and counsellors from 15 selected schools across the state on Comprehensive Sexuality Education curriculum in special needs schools.
According to the Nation, Oke-Osanyintolu revealed that the three-day training, which took place at the Ibis Hotel Ikeja Lagos is the first phase of the onboarding process in order to ensure that children in special need schools across Lagos State and those out of school are equipped with sex education.
The CSE was said to have commence in 2021 with five technical colleges and eight Women And Poverty Alleviation centres, acquisition centres with six modules which has increased to nine modules to accommodate the special needs of marginalised children.
Commenting on the training, Mrs Oke-Osanyintolu disclosed that the teaching of sexuality and sexual health has become necessary as the country moves towards a more inclusive education system.
She emphasized that the training is established to equip instructors with necessary tools, knowledge and sensitivity required to effectively spread the CSE curriculum to their respective schools to meets the need of the children.
She stated further that with human sexuality occupying an integral part of overall wellbeing, the Lagos State government in collaboration with UNFPA considers as priority the sexual development of special needs children who are very often marginalised in society.
Oke-Osanyintolu, who was represented by Mr. Saka Abdulateef said, “The Comprehensive Sexuality Education is structured in such a way that it provides a framework for the acquisition of knowledge of self and family living across the individual’s life course spread around thematic areas of
“Therefore, the implementation of the curriculum will improve access to adequate and correct information for young people, improving their ability to make informed decisions about their own sexuality and reproductive lives and exercise their reproductive rights.”
Speaking on the sidelines at the event, a Director in the Ministry of Youth and Social Development, Umar Rashida Omashola, explained that the onboarding of the Comprehensive Sexuality Education curriculum in special needs schools would help eradicate cases of sexual abuse among people living with disability, build their self esteem and promote a well informed community of young people.
Omoshola noted that the Lagos State and the UNFPA have planned to make the project a sustainable one by building a culture of continuous learning for participants to ensure that the skills acquired are updated from time to time.
“So our relationship with the UNFPA has been fruitful. it’s been seamless and it’s a mutually benefitting relationship. For the news set of instructors that being trained, we are going to take them through the curriculum, and how they are going to be teaching their students using the curriculum,” she said.
