Comprehensive Sexuality Education

Eswatini has one of the highest rates of HIV infection in the world, with girls and young women being particularly vulnerable. While the country has made significant progress and efforts in response to HIV, including efforts to integrate HIV prevention education into the school system, HIV infection remains one of the most pressing issues confronting the country's youth. Non-financial barriers to attending school or dropping out include adolescent pregnancy, sexual violence, risky sexual behaviour and a lack of control over sexual decisions, and substance addiction and vulnerability.  

The 1999 Education Policy Statement recognized the need for education to pursue the integration of life skills into education curricula. The 2011 Education and Training Sector Policy emphasizes the importance of developing knowledge and skills related to HIV prevention and incorporating it as a mandatory component of the curriculum. The Life Skills Education (LSE) programme, which includes aspects of sexuality education, was officially launched by the Minister of Education & Training in July 2015 and rolled out to all secondary schools in January 2016.

The government’s policies reflect its efforts to incorporate comprehensive life skills and sexuality education, sexual reproductive health (SRH) concepts and information on HIV into the state’s organs of service delivery, such as the departments of education and health. Access to education and health, and the upholding of human rights are enshrined in the Constitution of the Kingdom of Eswatini (2005).  

The 2009 National Youth Policy calls for: improved access to HIV treatment for youth; the integration of Life Skills Education (which includes sexuality education) curricula into all institutions; the promotion of school- and community-based health clubs; and the scaling up of SRH services to reach all youth, to reduce the prevalence of stis and unintended pregnancies. The 2020 revised Eswatini National Youth Policy aims to improve knowledge and skills that are geared to young people adopting protective and healthy behaviour, through for example, the provision of comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) in schools.  

The 2013 National Policy on Sexual and Reproductive Health aims to ensure universal coverage of comprehensive SRH services. It also includes the need to provide children with CSE and SRH information through health service providers. The Policy states that: ‘Comprehensive sexuality education, information and integrated SRH services shall be provided to all children, adolescents and young people at all levels of health care delivery systems and other relevant settings according to their age and need.’ 

The 2011 Education and Training Sector Policy aims to encourage a healthy lifestyle and promotes schools as centres of care and support (SCCS) in meeting these objectives. Care and support for teaching and learning (CSTL) Initiatives include the development of knowledge and skills of HIV prevention and incorporating them into life skills-based education as a compulsory component of the curriculum. The policy also aims to ensure that educational guidance and psychosocial services are included in schools.  

The 2018 National Education and Training Sector Policy aims to integrate a range of pertinent issues into the school curriculum as compulsory components, including: life skills, adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH), HIV and STIs, and others. Life Skills Education is a policy goal with the following objectives: to provide a comprehensive life skills curriculum through all the education levels; to develop cognitive skills, including problem-solving, prioritization and decision-making; to develop interpersonal skills, including self-organization, time management and effective communication; and to develop interpersonal skills, including relationship-building and teamwork.  

The Education Sector Strategic Plan 2022-2034 includes the provision of assistance to learners at risk of dropping out to mainstream life skills and knowledge (such as HIV knowledge, health promotion and career guidance) into the primary and secondary curriculum. This is to be underpinned by age-appropriate and gender-sensitive principles.

At the primary school level, CSE is not a standalone subject but a component that is integrated into different subject areas. At the secondary school level, it is a standalone subject, but not an examination subject. It is taught by career guidance teachers as part of the subjects that they have specialised in. Because it does not count in the number of periods a teacher is supposed to teach, CSE is sometimes viewed as an extra activity. This is despite the existence of the afore-mentioned Circular.  

The 2018 National Curriculum Framework for General Education establishes eight learning areas to be covered throughout the curriculum for upper-primary, junior-secondary, and senior-secondary levels: languages, mathematics, science, humanities and social sciences, information communication technology (ICT), the arts, technical and vocational education (TVET), and health and physical education. The National Curriculum Centre develops instructional materials that integrate educational concepts of HIV, life skills and sexuality at the primary school level. For lower and upper secondary schools, topics covering HIV, life skills and sexuality are included in different subjects such as science, consumer science, Siswati and English. 

The Guidance and Counselling Life Skills Education curriculum in secondary schools and the Life Skills Education curriculum in primary schools cover CSE-related concepts. The 2018 National Curriculum Framework for General Education integrates CSE topics across all learning areas, such as heritage and culture, ICT, HIV, gender issues, and education for sustainable development.

Teacher preparedness and capacity building: Various policies support the integration of life-skills training into pre-service teacher training (PRESET) and in-service teacher training (INSET). However, there is no legislation that supports this. 

The 2011 Education and Training Sector Policy supports mainstream life skills and knowledge development about STIs and HIV and other health risks for the PRESET and INSET teacher-training curriculum as a compulsory and examinable subject. All new teachers in training are to study guidance and counselling as a compulsory and examinable PRESET subject, with continuing study for all teachers via INSET programmes, throughout their careers. The policy aims to ensure that all teachers are well informed about counselling, guidance, health, psychosocial support, life skills, adolescent sexual reproductive health (ASRH), and awareness and prevention of STIs. Teachers go through compulsory and examinable PRESET and INSET training.  

The 2018 National Education and Training Sector Policy aims to improve and expand the capacity of educators to teach life skills. In addition, the Teacher’s Pre-Service Education and Training Policy Goal aims to provide technical and professional support for newly qualified teachers to effectively implement the comprehensive school curriculum. Key areas include: early childhood development education(ECDE); guidance and counselling; life-skills education; science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM); and ICT. The policy seeks to integrate the following themes into the PRESET and INSET curriculum as required and examinable subjects: life skills, ASRH, STIs and HIV education, and other emerging issues. The policy states that a PRESET and INSET curriculum review panel should make recommendations for a revitalized teacher-training curriculum that includes mainstreaming knowledge about ASRH, awareness and prevention of STIs and HIV, and other emerging issues. These would be compulsory and examinable components of life skills education, with a phased approach to implementation. 

The Education Sector Strategic Plan 2022-2034 aims to train all relevant educational staff on issues such as social behavioural change communication, life skills education, gender issues and career guidance.  

Various trainings have been conducted by the Ministry of Education and Training in partnership with international organizations to support teacher training life-skills education, particularly though CSE modules delivered online and face to face.