Comprehensive Sexuality Education

The Republic of South Sudan became the world’s youngest nation and Africa’s 54th country in 2011. However, outbreaks of civil war in 2013 and 2016 have undermined the country's post-independence development gains and worsened its humanitarian situation. Poverty is pervasive and is exacerbated by war, migration and external disruptions. In 2023, South Sudan had a population of nearly 11 million, of which more than 70% cent were under the age of 30. In South Sudan, education enrolment rates are among the world's lowest, and one of the lowest for girls. Early marriage, adolescent pregnancy, gender-based violence (GBV) and unmet demands for family planning methods among girls and women are pervasive. 

In 2015, the first national curriculum, the South Sudan Curriculum Framework, was developed by the Ministry of General Education and Instruction, and was implemented to start in the 2018 school year. The national curriculum includes compulsory subjects, which are mandatory and examinable throughout the educational process (early childhood education, primary education, and secondary education) – such as mathematics, religious education, history, English and science; and optional subjects. In addition, the South Sudan Curriculum Framework incorporates certain School Programmes, which are programmes outside the set subjects. These are non-examinable, do not have a specific syllabus, but they have a separate guide and schools are expected to plan suitable programmes to meet the needs of their learners. Programmes include a focus on personal development and life skills (to include guidance and counselling), career guidance, and community involvement and peace education. They can follow the School Programmes Guidance developed by the Ministry of General Education and Instruction.

While the South Sudan Curriculum Framework does not include a compulsory subject on sexuality education, environment and sustainability, peace education and life skills are integrated as cross-cutting issues and taught within particular subjects and syllabus units. However, most topics related to comprehensive sexuality education are addressed in the School Programmes.

South Sudan has a policy framework that promotes aspects of comprehensive sexuality education (CSE), especially gender and human rights issues. The policy framework also incorporates education on sustainable development and citizenship. The policies include the 2012 General Education Act, the General Education Strategic Plan for 2017-2022, and the Girls’ Education Strategy for South Sudan 2015-2017. The 2015 South Sudan Curriculum Framework and the School Programmes Guidance are the principal guiding documents for the incorporation of components related to CSE in schools.

The South Sudan General Education Act, 2012 specifies as a principle of the general education system that ‘education shall promote healthy living, community health awareness and environmental awareness’.

The General Education Strategic Plan for 2017-2022 of the Ministry of General Education and Instruction sets a target to ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development. This includes education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, the promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship, appreciation of cultural diversity, and the contribution of culture to sustainable development. The plan also aims to introduce student competencies in sexual health and environmental sustainability. 

The Girls’ Education Strategy for South Sudan 2015-2017 aims to create a gender-sensitive curriculum that included inclusive education, life skills, and peace education. The strategy also supports the inclusion of reproductive health education as well as CSE in the curriculum. 

The 2015 South Sudan Curriculum Framework mandates the teaching of personal development and life skills. School programmes are defined as mandatory programmes that are not examined and do not have a national syllabus. Schools are expected to plan suitable programmes to meet the needs of their learners and make the best use of their own facilities and capacities.

The 2015 South Sudan Curriculum Framework includes life skills as a cross-cutting topic that is integrated into the mandatory subjects syllabus, such as in social studies, science and citizenship. However, most of the elements of life skills that have to do with personal and emotional development are addressed in the School Programmes.

The School Programmes are a set of programmes outside compulsory subjects. While these programmes are not examined and do not have a national syllabus, they do have a separate guide – the School Programmes Guidance. Schools are expected to plan programmes to meet the needs of their learners and may include: physical activities and sports, personal development and life skills programmes (to include guidance and counselling), careers guidance, community involvement and peace education, and school gardening.

The School Programmes must meet the local needs and interests of learners and their teachers, which means that the structure of each programme could be different. However, all schools should consider certain recommendations that are included in the School Programme Guidance, such as time allocation. According to the 2015 South Sudan Curriculum Framework, schools should allocate three periods (of 35 minutes each for P1–P3 and 40 minutes for P4–P8) a week at the primary level for School Programmes and three periods (of 40 minutes) a week at the secondary level. There is flexibility about when they are taught.

The 2015 South Sudan Curriculum Framework covers various cross-cutting issues related to life skills. These include discussions on healthy living and appropriate hygiene, exploring different roles and images of boys and girls, understanding body changes and their impact on personal development, examining gender differences and stereotypes, and exploring different ways to demonstrate respect for human rights and responsibility. The curricula also address topics such as HIV awareness and the physical changes that occur during puberty, which are covered in other cross-cutting issues and subjects such as peace education and science.

The School Programme Guidance developed by the Ministry of General Education and Instruction distinguishes the elements of life skills that should be addressed in the mandatory subjects and those to be included in each school’s specific School Programmes. The topics included are as follows: