Comprehensive Sexuality Education
1. Context and background
Over the past decade, significant progress has been made in Chad in terms of access to social services such as health and education, and basic services such as transportation and drinking water. However, major challenges remain, including a high fertility rate, early marriages, and a predominantly young population. According to 2020 statistics, Chad has a large population of young people under 20 years old.
In 2004, the national Ministry of Education published a N° 002/ MEN/ SG/ CLSMEN government circular, an information, education and communication manual, which made the teaching of HIV prevention compulsory in all schools in Chad. However, no information was found on the existence of a sexuality education curriculum or a school programme.
2. Terminology
No specific definitions were found in the reviewed documents. However, sexuality education terminology is addressed through gender equality policies and education in HIV prevention.
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: 1995 |
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: 1990 |
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: 2019 |
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: 1995 |
Acknowledges that the right to sexual and reproductive health is an integral part of the right to health. |
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The 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action Attended |
Calls for sexuality education, counselling, and support mechanisms for adolescents, and identifies essential topics. |
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3.2. Relevant national laws and policies mandating comprehensive sexuality education
Law 06-016 2006-03-13 PR on the Orientation of the Chadian Education System (2014) states that the education system pursues the objective of promoting the education of girls by eradicating stereotypes and other socio-economic and cultural constraints that hinder the full development of girls and women.
In 2004, the national Ministry of Education published a N° 002/ MEN/ SG/ CLSMEN government circular, an information, education and communication manual, which made the teaching of HIV prevention compulsory in all schools in Chad.
The 2002 Law No. 006/PR/2002 on the Promotion of Reproductive Health guarantees the right to reproductive health regardless of age. It states that all individuals and couples have the right to information, education and resources relating to the benefits, risks, and effectiveness of all birth control methods. It also refers to the right of adolescents to family planning services.
Chad Vision 2030, released in 2017, sets out the long-term vision of the country over three national development plans. It includes a vision for the development and provision of socio-health and educational infrastructure, the achievement of gender equity in the educational system, and the development and implementation of a gender policy, which includes the requirement to enrol and retain girls in school.
The National Health Policy 2016-2030 aims to improve care delivery to women, youth and children, and to promote the health of young people and adolescents by establishing reproductive health centres that meet their needs.
The National Strategy for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Schools (2018-2030) contains specific and transversal references to gender, as well as ideas on how to address menstrual hygiene management and train teaching personnel. The plan aims to reduce the school dropout rate by improving children’s access to school and to increase the retention rate, particularly among girls. It also aims to enhance sanitation, health and nutrition in the school environment by expanding the number of health facilities and strengthening health education programmes.
The Five-Year Gender Policy Implementation Action Plan (2019-2023) includes a strategic objective to achieve equal and equitable access to basic social services for men and women, including the promotion of human rights in reproductive health, through education.
The National Gender Policy (2011) prioritizes the right to health, particularly reproductive health, and encourages girls to complete their education and overcome sociocultural limitations. It aims to promote activities supporting the sexual education of young people and responsible parenthood, and to actively communicate with the population on issues relating to health problems, reproductive health, and sexuality in particular.
The Interim Education Plan in Chad 2018-2020 aims to reduce disparities (region, gender, areas, background) in access to education at all levels of education.
The National Development Plan 2017-2021 aims to improve education quality and ensure student retention, especially for girls.
The Plan to Promote Girls’ Training and Women's Literacy comprises the following three complementary components: (i) an increase in school supply for the education of girls, and improvements to the school environment; (ii) improving the quality of girls’ education and levels of functional literacy; and (iii) institutional support for structures dedicated to girls’ schooling and women’s literacy and the project management unit, and to set up listening centres for young girls. The Plan also aims to provide information and awareness-raising on girls’ schooling, sexual and reproductive health (SRH), early marriage and pregnancy, and gender-based violence.
3.3. Curricula
Mandatory or optional
No information was found on the existence of a sexuality education curriculum or school programme. Similarly, Law 06-016 2006-03-13 PR on the Orientation of the Chadian Education System (2014) gives no indication that sexuality education or components linked to comprehensive sexuality education should be incorporated into the official school setting. The 2004 which makes the teaching of HIV prevention compulsory in all schools in Chad. The 2004 circular (N° 002/ MEN/ SG/ CLSMEN) published by the national Ministry of Education, makes the teaching of HIV prevention compulsory in all schools in Chad.
The curricular policy in force (2010) has introduced several pedagogical innovations based on new knowledge and skills to be acquired by the child. These include family life and population education, education on HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and health education.
Model of delivery
No information was found.
Comprehensiveness of content
No information was found.
Learning resources
The National Strategy for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Schools (2018-2030) seeks to produce training modules, guidelines, and publications on puberty and menstrual hygiene management (MHM) for teachers, parents and students. The Ministry of National Education and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), in collaboration with the Chadian health services, school administration and parents’ associations, developed a series of manuals called ‘My Shield against AIDS’ for students in the second year of elementary school, and the first and second years of middle school.
3.4. Teachers
The National Strategy for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Schools (2018-2030), requires the implementation of refresher courses and professional courses on menstrual hygiene management in teacher training. The Departmental Centres for the Continuous Training of Primary Teachers, in partnership with the Pedagogical Inspectorates of Primary Education, have been in charge of the ongoing training of teachers since 1997 (GPE, 2020).
3.5. Schools
No information was found on the school referral mechanism to health clinics or counselling on SRH at school. At the policy level, the National Health Policy 2016-2030 proposes an intervention to teach health staff counselling so they can communicate contraceptive techniques and their adverse effects more effectively, and ensure that counselling is integrated into all levels of medical training.
The Five-Year Gender Policy Implementation Action Plan (2019-2023) aims to design and implement national and provincial strategies to promote access to SRH services by women, adolescents and young people.
Article 108 of Law 06-016 2006-03-13 PR on the Orientation of the Chadian Education System stipulates that students shall be entitled to medical and social monitoring by the specialized school and university health services that have been set up for this purpose.
The National Education Sector Response Plan to the COVID 19 epidemic in Chad (PRNSE C19) (2020) aims to prepare and disseminate key messages to teachers and children for their emotional and psycho-social support, including on gender-specific issues, discrimination and stigma in times of confinement, school closures and household impoverishment, such as increased risks of pregnancy, sexual exploitation or gender-based violence.
The Youth Action Movement of Chad, part of the Chadian Association for Family Welfare, provides mass sensitization on sexuality, menstrual hygiene and STIs for all ages.
4. Governance
4.1 Responsible ministries
The Ministry of National Education and for Civic Promotion is responsible for coordinating and monitoring the implementation of the National Strategy for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Schools (2018-2030). The Ministry relies on other technical ministries to implement its policy. The Ministry of Public Health helps to promote school health by fully participating in the articulation of the Water Sanitation and Hygiene in Schools Strategy, the technical and normative content related to health and hygiene in schools. Through its technical departments, the Ministry also deals with deworming in schools to maintain the required standards of school health.
4.2. Level of responsibility/decentralization and autonomy
The National Federation of Parents' Association supports the functioning of the education sector and watches over the interests of parents and students. It plays the role of a mediator between schools and parents. The National Association of Parent-Teacher Associations is represented in all the provinces and is an essential structure for the dissemination of the Strategy, particularly menstrual hygiene management, alongside local authorities and traditional leaders.
4.3. Government budget allocation
No information was found on budget allocation or financing of comprehensive sexuality education issues in Chad.
5. Monitoring and reporting
Chad Vision 2030 proposes implementing and monitoring national social protection strategies and universal health coverage. It also mentions the indicators on axis 4 on the improvement of quality of life among the Chadian people, which includes the total fertility rate and the elementary school completion rate for girls.
