The Department of Basic Education is in the news again, pushing forward with the roll-out of its Comprehensive Sexuality Education programme.

This material was developed in close collaboration with UNESCO, providing public schools with Scripted Lesson Plans, developed in accordance with the revised UN International Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education.

It is noteworthy that one of the main contributors to the ITGSE was the International Planned Parenthood Federation, the notorious abortion provider involved in a massive scandal for selling aborted baby parts and organs that are being used in some of the vaccines being pushed out right now.

The Department of Basic Education claims that there is an urgent need to implement this programme, citing teenage pregnancies, HIV infections and gender-based violence.

The Department of Basic Education spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga states that parents are “failing dismally” when it comes to talking to their children about sex and that is “why we need to step up as government”.

This roll out is in keeping with the purpose of an international grant received from USAID, which awarded a contract of $25 million to the Education Development Centre to implement Comprehensive Sexuality Education over a five year period.

Parents and teacher bodies expressed concern about the lack of consultation and engagement as well as the testing of this content in over 1,500 schools with a view to a wide-ranging roll out. Since 1994, South Africa no longer has State schools where Government chooses and implements whatever it wishes to educate school learners.

Instead, we have public schools, which are essentially a partnership between Government and the local school community in the form of a School Governing Body which represents the parents of learners at the school, the teachers at the school and some representation from more senior students.