Comprehensive Sexuality Education
1. Context and background
Despite some improvement, Tanzania has one of the highest adolescent pregnancy rates in the world. The country also has one of the highest levels of HIV infection globally.
Life skills-based HIV education programmes in Tanzania have been implemented since 1987, when Family Life Education was introduced in schools and teacher colleges as an extra-curricular programme. In 1999, the programme gained momentum after HIV & AIDS were declared an epidemic. This declaration was the beginning of a series of HIV prevention strategies, starting with the creation of the Tanzania Commission for AIDS in 2001.
2. Terminology
The country uses the term 'Life Skills-based education' 'HIV', 'sexual and reproductive health' and 'gender-based violence' in most of its sexuality education programmes.
3. Laws and policies
3.1. Relevant international/regional agreements to which Tanzania is a signatory
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3.2. Relevant national laws and policies mandating comprehensive sexuality education
Tanzania has a number of policies in place to guide the delivery of sexuality education. The Guidelines for Implementing HIV and Life Skills Education in Schools were published in 2002 (4th version of 2004). The document emphasized the provision of HIV & AIDS, STIs, life skills, counselling services and knowledge. The knowledge component captures basic knowledge on HIV & AIDS and STIs, and a ‘responsible behaviour approach’, which emphasizes abstinence and the delay of sexual debut. Education on condom use is also encouraged as an alternative way of avoiding STIs. However, the distribution of condoms in schools and teacher colleges is not permitted.
The provision of global citizenship and life skills education, including on environmental and conservation issues and on gender, sexuality and HIV prevention was one of the strategies of the Education Sector Development Plan (ESDP 2016/17 – 2020/21 under the Quality of Basic and Secondary Education.
Tanzania launched the Third National Multi-Sectoral Strategic Framework for HIV&AIDS (NMSF III, 2012/13 – 2017/18), which was designed to guide the country’s multi-sectoral response to the epidemic.
Tanzania has recently launched the National Accelerated Action and Investment Agenda for Adolescent Health and Wellbeing (NAIA-AHW) 2021/22 – 2024/25, which includes comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) as one of the priority interventions to address early pregnancies and HIV.
3.3. Curricula
Mandatory or optional
No information was found.
Model of delivery
Sexuality education in Tanzania is integrated into various subjects. In primary school, topics related to reproductive health such as HIV and gender are included in the following subjects: science and technology, civic and moral education, and social studies. The aim is to identify the effects of unsafe sex and the risks of unsafe sex, to avoid diseases and early pregnancies. In secondary school, biology and civic education include sexuality education content. The science and biology syllabi cover topics related to facts and information about sexuality education, including HIV & AIDS, SRH, and human development.
Sexuality education is also offered to learners via extra-curricular clubs or programmes to reinforce what is being taught in school.
Comprehensiveness of content
Within the curricula, the objectives of the sexuality education programmes are focused on cognitive dimensions, with a less of a focus on the affective and skills aspects. This includes reducing unintended pregnancy, HIV, STIs and gender-based violence. However, there is little focus on effective behaviour with respect to delaying first sex and promoting the effective use of condoms and other contraceptives. Abstinence is the primary focus of school-based sexuality education provided by the government.
Learning resources
While there are no specific learners’ textbooks sexuality education, sexuality education content is included in textbooks of the specific carrier subjects.
3.4. Teachers
In this study, the country indicated that sexuality education is a compulsory module in preparing teachers for the teaching profession. Pre-service teacher training courses include topics such as: relationships, culture, society and human rights; human development and puberty; sexuality and sexual behaviour; SRH; gender issues; basic facts on HIV&AIDS; coping and life skills; counselling; and communication skills. In preparation for the Teacher Education Certificate, carrier subjects include civic education, science, personality development, sports and educational psychology, and guidance and counselling. At the diploma level, carrier subjects include development studies, biology, educational psychology, guidance and counselling. Sexuality education has been integrated into the Teacher Educator Program as a stand-alone course module in the curriculum for professional in-service tutors in six zonal teacher training colleges and one university.
There is also a guideline that governs in-service training and retraining of teachers on HIV&AIDS, SRH and life-skills education, which includes information on HIV & AIDS, relationships, the basic principles of guidance and counselling, participatory teaching methods, an exploration and clarification of personal beliefs and values, class management skills in dealing with difficult and controversial issues, and stigmatization and discrimination. The Open University of Tanzania has developed in-service teacher training, with a focus on learner-centred methods and the appropriate use of teaching materials, and is planning an online course on sexuality education. The former Ministry of Education and Vocational Training also developed teaching materials, charts, and brochures that present CSE content simply and attractively (for extra-curricular programmes).
CSE is a compulsory module in teacher training and an examinable subject in pre-service teacher training.
3.5. Schools
In 2018, Tanzania launched the National School Health Program Strategic Plan (2018-2023). The implementation of the Plan is guided by Policy Guidelines on School Health Services in Tanzania (2018), which stipulates the type of services to be offered, and the coordination and monitoring of services provided by the Government and its non-governmental partners.
4. Governance
4.1 Responsible ministries
The Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Vocational Training, the Presidents’ Office, the Ministry for Regional Administrative and Local Government, and the Ministry of Health all play a role in the implementation of sexuality education in Tanzania.
4.2. Level of responsibility/decentralization and autonomy
No information was found.
4.3. Government budget allocation
No information was found.
5. Monitoring and reporting
Some measures are in place to track data on various aspects of sexuality education. For example, the Annual School Census for Tanzania integrates a number of the key agreed global indicators for measuring responses in the education to HIV & AIDS. The National Basic Education Statistics in Tanzania provide data on the number of government and non-government schools providing CSE, including rules and guidelines for staff and students about HIV & AIDS, a programme on HIV & AIDS in the workplace, education on infection, the prevention of HIV, education on life skills in general, as well as school provision of education on reproductive health, and training to parents and teachers.
