Comprehensive Sexuality Education
1. Context and background
The history of sexuality education in Thailand began in 1938, with the first national policy on sexuality education in schools. However, the sexuality education curriculum was only incorporated into instruction in 1978. At the time, implementation was voluntary, and comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) was only taught in schools that were prepared to integrate it with other subjects. Specific sexuality education programmes were introduced in 2001, within a broad subject called Family Life Education as a component of health and physical education, (UNESCO 2021). Sexuality education was incorporated into the Basic Education Core Curriculum in 2008 by the Ministry of Education and the Office of Basic Education Commission. However, it was criticized for having a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach and for not taking the different needs and ages of students into account.
Responding to the steep escalation of Thailand’s adolescent fertility rate between 2000 and 2012, in 2016 the Royal Thai Government enacted the Act for the Prevention and Solution of the Adolescent Pregnancy Problem B.E. 2559.
2. Terminology
According to the 2016 Act for the Prevention and Solution of the Adolescent Pregnancy Problem B.E. 2559, sexuality studies mean ‘an approach to learning about sex, covering human development at every stage of life, interpersonal relationships, personal skill development, sexual behaviour, sexual health and socio-cultural dimensions which affect sexuality, including the right to information and knowledge on reproductive health, placing importance on sexual diversity and equality’.
3. Laws and policies
3.1. Relevant international/regional agreements to which the country is a signatory
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INTERNATIONAL |
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Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) Ratification date: 1985 |
Acknowledges the need to guarantee sexuality education free from discrimination and stereotypes, conveying gender equality values. |
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Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) Ratification date: 1992 |
Commits to the right to access appropriate health-related information. |
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Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) Ratification date: 2008 |
Commits to the highest attainable standard of health for persons with disabilities. |
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International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Ratification date: 1999 |
Acknowledges that the right to sexual and reproductive health is an integral part of the right to health. |
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REGIONAL |
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The Asia and Pacific Ministerial Declaration on Population and Development (2013) (Asia Pacific) Attended |
Commits to the design, funding and implementation of ‘comprehensive sexuality education and life skills’ programmes that ‘provide accurate information on human sexuality, gender equality, human rights, relationships, and sexual and reproductive health, while recognizing the role and responsibilities of parents. |
3.2. Relevant national laws and policies mandating comprehensive sexuality education
The 2016 Act for the Prevention and Solution of the Adolescent Pregnancy Problem B.E. 2559 dictates that an educational institution must address the prevention and solution of the adolescent pregnancy problem as follows: provide age-appropriate teaching and learning on sexuality studies; and recruit and develop teaching personnel so they are equipped to teach sexuality studies and provide counselling on the prevention of adolescent pregnancies, as well as solutions to the problem. The 2016 Act further mandates and reinforces a number of rights of adolescents regarding their access to sexuality information and services. These include: the right to make informed decisions; the right to have access to sexuality education and information; the right to have access to reproductive health services; the right to have access to social welfare services; the right to be treated equally and without discrimination; and the right to enjoy confidentiality and privacy. In addition, educational institutions are obliged to provide supervision, assistance, and a protection system for pregnant students to receive suitable and continuous education, along with a referral system to appropriate reproductive health services and social welfare provision. (UNESCO 2021).
The National Strategy on Prevention and Solution of Adolescent Pregnancy Problem B.E. 2560-2569 (2017-2026) aims to mobilize people and groups across society to tackle the issue of adolescent pregnancies. These include the six implementing ministries of government (Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Public Health and Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation), policy-makers, the private sector, parents and young people. (UNFPA 2021).
3.3. Curricula
Mandatory or optional
According to the 2016 Act for the Prevention and Solution of the Adolescent Pregnancy Problem B.E. 2559 and the Ministry of Education’s Ministerial Regulation Prescribing Types of Educational Institutions and Action of Educational Institutions in the Prevention and Resolution of Teenage Pregnancy Problems, B.E. 2561 (2018), educational institutions must provide age-appropriate sexuality education and information to students. The Basic Education Core Curriculum emphasizes the learning areas of health and physical education and mandates the teaching of sexuality education at all levels.
Model of delivery
The teaching of sexuality education in Thailand is implemented in various ways within each school’s curricula. Sexuality education may be integrated into physical or health education, guidance classes, homeroom activities, and weekly ad-hoc sessions, or as a stand-alone subject (UNESCO 2021).
Comprehensiveness of content
The Basic Education Core Curriculum emphasizes the learning area of health and physical education, which includes five thematic strands: human growth and development; life and family; movement, through physical exercises, playing games, and national and international sports activities; strengthening of health capacity and disease prevention; and safety.
Learning resources
The Basic Education Core Curriculum provides guidelines for teaching sexuality education, and how to incorporate sexuality education topics into various core subjects of the curricula. The Basic Education Core Curriculum also provides clear learning indicators and standards. The Ministry of Education has reviewed textbooks to address gender bias following the government’s release of the 2015 Gender Equality Act B.E. 2558.
3.4. Teachers
The 2016 Act for the Prevention and Solution of the Adolescent Pregnancy Problem B.E. 2559, dictates that educational institutions are obliged to ‘recruit and develop teaching personnel capable of providing sexuality education and counselling on the prevention and solution of adolescent pregnancy and establish supervision, assistance, and a protection system for pregnant students to receive suitable and continuous education, along with a referral system to appropriate reproductive health services and social welfare provision’. The Office of Basic Education Commission has collaborated with the Path2Health Foundation to develop and launch e-learning courses for CSE pedagogy, with the aim of upskilling teachers of sexuality education and life skills training. The course’s main objective is to improve the skills and knowledge of the teachers responsible for sexuality education, which is often included in physical and health education (UNESCO 2021). The Ministry of Education, the Office of Basic Education Commission and partner organizations have produced a CSE development manual that identifies content that needs to be covered for each age group. It also provides guidance on the management and evaluation of the provision of CSE.
3.5. Schools
According to Section 7 of the 2016 Act for the Prevention and Solution of the Adolescent Pregnancy Problem B.E. 2559, a service provider shall undertake the prevention and solution of the adolescent pregnancy problem as follows: to accurately, completely, and adequately provide information and knowledge on the prevention and solution of the adolescent pregnancy problem to adolescent recipients of the service; to provide counselling and reproductive health services that are culturally and linguistically appropriate; and to provide information and knowledge.
4. Governance
4.1 Responsible ministries
The Ministry of Education is responsible for prescribing and overseeing policies, programmes and curricula to provide CSE and related topics in basic educational institutions in Thailand. Other ministries, such as the Ministry of Public Health and the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, play a supportive role in the overall national strategy on topics related to CSE, such as curbing the HIV epidemic and reducing the number of teenage pregnancies.
4.2. Level of responsibility/decentralization and autonomy
According to Section 10 of the 2016 Act for the Prevention and Solution of the Adolescent Pregnancy Problem B.E. 2559,, each local administration has the powers and duties to ensure that adolescents in its local administrative area have the right to ‘decide by themselves and has the right to information and knowledge, right to reproductive health service, right to confidentiality and privacy, and right to social welfare provision, that are equal and non-discriminative, and is entitled to any other rights for the purpose of this Act accurately, completely and adequately’. The local administration has the power to prescribe local ordinances in accordance with the rules, procedures and conditions as prescribed in the Ministry of Education’s Ministerial Regulation Prescribing Types of Educational Institutions and Action of Educational Institutions in the Prevention and Resolution of Teenage Pregnancy Problems, B.E. 2561 (2018). At the school level, schools are free to decide how to incorporate CSE into each school’s curricula, such as integrating it into a specific class, as a stand-alone subject, or as individual sessions.
4.3. Government budget allocation
No information was found on budget allocations for CSE.
5. Monitoring and reporting
The Basic Education Core Curriculum outlines the minimal learning times for health and physical education: for primary education level (grades 1–6): 80 hours per year; lower secondary education level (grades 7–9): 80 hours or two credits per year; and upper secondary education level (grades 10–12): 120 hours or three credits over three years. Also, the OBEC CSE e-course for teachers requires that teachers who undertake the e-course are expected to submit their teaching plan to the relevant Education Service Administration Office for validation, in order to pass the e-course.
According to the Review of comprehensive sexuality education in Thailand (UNESCO, 2017) teachers interviewed stated that evaluation of CSE is usually based on scores that students attain in tests of their knowledge. Interviews with teachers indicated that most teachers measured students’ knowledge in mid-term and end-of-term exams. These exams formed part of health education evaluation in general secondary schools but were specific to sexuality education in vocational colleges. Students would also collect points by submitting worksheets, attending their CSE classes punctually and participating in class. The qualitative data indicated that most teachers mainly evaluate students’ knowledge through written and multiple-choice exams, worksheets and classroom participation.
This profile was reviewed by Ms. Wantira Noisiri (Plan and Policy Analyst, Office of the Vocational Education Commission Lt.), Nicharas Panjajittrapat (Public Health Technical Officer, Senior Professional level), Ms. Chitralada Chanyaem (Director, International Organization Cooperation Unit, Bureau of International Cooperation, Ministry of Education) and Ms. Panida Taweelap (Programme Officer, Thai National Commission for UNESCO).
