Comprehensive Sexuality Education

1. Context and background

In Georgia, the teenage birth rate is among the highest in Europe. There is a substantial need for modern and effective contraceptive method use, and a relatively high incidence of self-induced abortion. Youth sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services are scarce and there are limited technical expertise and human resources in relation to SRH. Adolescents primarily learn information about contraceptives and family planning from their peers and the internet. At the cultural level, premarital sexual behaviour among adolescents is strongly prohibited. Several youth-friendly SRH centres were created between 2006 and 2009, as part of a large youth SRH project, but they were hardly used and were not sustainable due to most girls being too afraid to approach them. The centres were gradually closed after 2009.

Teaching of issues related to healthy lifestyle, sexual and reproductive health in general educational institutions is among the priority issues for the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia (MoES). For this purpose, the Ministry has been cooperating with various local and international organisations for many yers. As a result, reflection of the above-mentioned issues in mandatory subject standards and in textbooks created on the basis of the same standards is gradually improving.

2. Terminology

The following terms are used: 'healthy lifestyle' and 'sexual and reproductive health education'.

3. Laws and policies

3.1. Relevant international/regional agreements to which Georgia is a signatory

INTERNATIONAL
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) Ratification date: 1994	Acknowledges the need to guarantee sexuality education free from discrimination and stereotypes, conveying gender equality values.
Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) Ratification date: 1994	Commits to the right to access appropriate health-related information.
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) Ratification date: 2014	Commits to the highest attainable standard of health for persons with disabilities.
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Ratification date: 1994	Acknowledges that the right to sexual and reproductive health is an integral part of the right to health.
UNESCO Convention against Discrimination in Education Endorsed	Reaffirms that education is a human right. It highlights states' obligations to ensure free and compulsory education, bans any form of discrimination and promotes equality of educational opportunity.

The country has also ratified the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse, which came into into force in 2015. In line with this, Georgia commits to ensuring that children receive information on the risks of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse, as well as on ways to protect themselves, according to their age and level of development. In addition, in 2014, Georgia ratified a European Union Association Agreement in which it committed to introduce and promote the concept of a healthy lifestyle in its educational system.

3.2. Relevant national laws and policies mandating comprehensive sexuality education

In Georgia there is no specific law mandating sexuality education, but several policy and strategy documents support its implementation.

The orientations of the general education system of Georgia are reflected in the document "National Goals of General Education" approved by the Government of Georgia Resolution N84 of October, 2004, which defines what kind of citizen the school system should educate and by what means the goal should be achieved. The document emphasises the importance of a healthy lifestyle, namely: "The education system develops mental and physical skills of adolescents, provides them with the necessary knowledge, establishes a healthy lifestyle, forms civic awareness based on liberal and democratic values in students and helps them in the family, society and in realising one's rights and duties before the state".

The 2005 Law on General Education (as amended in 2010) stipulates that the establishment of a healthy lifestyles is one of the policy objectives of the state in the field of education (Article 3). One of the obligations of educational institutions includes to 'provide pupils with an education that meets modern standards and is based on national and universal human values, a healthy lifestyle, and the principles of democracy and equality' (Article 33).

The 2022-30 National Strategy of Education and Science emphasises that teaching and learning are guided by the student-centred approaches to help students develop skills and lifelong competencies. To promote student health and personal growth, all aspects of school culture will positively impact student outcomes, health, safety and well-being.

In one of the main documents of the general education system, the National Curriculum, which is a normative document and a mandatory guide for all schools in Georgia, issues related to healthy life and reproductive health are outlined in several subjects. Also, healthy life is one of the priority topics out of the eight priority topics, which means that all subjects should take it into account when teaching. In addition, the school should take into account the priority of the mentioned topic when implementing projects in the non-formal education component.

The 2020-30 Georgian National Youth Policy Concept also includes health and wellbeing as one of its strategic priorities, calling for increased awareness on reproductive health, and decreased rates of child/early marriage and adolescent pregnancy. The policy specifically calls for youth education on these issues, stating that 'it is necessary to provide them with evidence-based information through formal and non-formal education, to properly reflect relevant up-to-date subject standards in new textbooks, and to increase the number of well-trained and qualified teachers '.

The 2019 Code on the Rights of the Child establishes children's right to have access to information about their rights and freedoms, as well as other topics pertinent to the physical, mental, intellectual, psycho-social and cultural development and well-being of the child. Schools must ensure that this information is age-appropriate. According to Article 15 of the Code, 'The child shall have the right to obtain information on his/her rights and freedoms, as well as other topics deemed pertinent to the physical, mental, intellectual, psychosocial and cultural development and well-being of the child'.

In 2019, the Office of the Public Defender of Georgia prepared a national assessment document on 'Sexual and reproductive health and rights', which addresses comprehensive sexuality. Based on the key findings, the Public Defender’s Office recommends: the inclusion of comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) in the formal education system appropriate for each age group; the inclusion of this commitment in education plans and strategies at the different levels of education; the adjustment of CSE components to align with international standards and UNESCO guidelines; the development of CSE materials for students appropriate to their age, and support for teachers and schools in the regions, especially in high mountainous villages, in strengthening informal and formal learning on human sexuality.

3.3. Curricula

Mandatory or optional

Issues related to a healthy lifestyle and SRH education are integrated into some mandatory subjects of the national curriculum.

Model of delivery

Issues of healthy lifestyle, sexual and reproductive health and rights are distributed in the national curriculum between primary and basic levels either as goals or learning outcomes. They are integrated among the following six subjects: 1) Natural science (grades I-IV); 2) Society and I (grades III-IV); 3) Our Georgia (grades V-VI); 4) Biology (grades VII-IX); 5) Citizenship (grades VII-IX); 6) Physical education and sport (grades I-VI).

Comprehensiveness of content

In specific subject standards, the above-mentioned issues (gender identity, roles etc.) are presented in the form of target concepts, sub-concepts and topics.

Primary level	Grades 1-4
Natural sciences	Grades 1-4: The student should be able to follow basic rules of hygiene in order to maintain health using practical activities and elementary research skills. Concepts: health and hygiene; parts of body; a human, human body parts, human sense organs. Grades 5-6: The student should be able to follow the rules of hygiene and safety during activities in order to preserve health and care for the environment. Compulsory topic: human body and health. Concepts: organism; human body, puberty, puberty age, healthy eating, harmful habits, hygiene.
Physical education and sport	Grades 1-6: The student should be able to: participate in physical activities to develop physical qualities to improve health; participate in health activities in order to produce and develop discipline and self-control; understand the importance of a healthy lifestyle by engaging in physical and health activities and implementing/using it in daily life. The target concepts and sub-concepts are: physical attributes, healthy lifestyle, discipline and self-control. In the new standard, special attention is paid to the management of emotions, self-control and self-management.
Society and I	Grades 3-4: The student should be able to: recognise emotions and show tolerance towards people of different culture, religion (confession), nationality, abilities, views. Target concepts: person, society, care; Sub-concepts: love and sense of belonging (for example, family, friends, loved ones); faith and religion; values and worldview; violence (violation of personal space, personal information, bullying, cyberbullying, bullying of different ideas); equality; relationships; emotion; Healthy life.
Our Georgia	Grades 5-6: The student should be able to characterise the ethnic, religious, cultural diversity of Georgia in order to develop a positive attitude towards diversity. Respect for human rights and healthy life are embedded in all topics.
Lower secondary level	Grades 7-9
Biology	Understanding the importance of a healthy lifestyle and following it. Issues include human life cycle (teenage years), health and environment, effects of psychoactive substances, women’s reproductive system, men’s reproductive system, impregnation and development of fetus, sexually transmitted diseases, healthy and balanced diet, dependence on chemical substances, negative habits, physical activity, and its importance for maintaining health, healthy eating and balanced diet, physical activity, risks associated with early marriage/pregnancy.
Citizenship	Evaluating and correcting someone’s own opinions, behavior, managing emotions (self-reflection). Topics include healthy diet, teenage years, early marriage, addiction, equality in school, violence, and bullying.
Physical education and sport	Understanding the importance of engaging in physical activity, both for strengthening health and promoting socialisation. upper secondary leve:

Upper secondary level: Although issues related to sexual and reproductive health are not covered by the revised school standards, there are other opportunities at this level for students to pursue their interests:

Subject offered as an optional course - the school can develop a course on sexual and reproductive health itself, or use a course developed by another organisation/institution, submit it to the Ministry for approval and introduce it at the upper secondary level in grades: X, XI, or XII; The remuneration of teachers for this course with a load of 2 hours per week is financed by the state.
Enhancing knowledge in any direction within the framework of a mandatory project - within the framework of civic education at the secondary level, students, as a group or individually, have to implement 1 project per semester. The topic for the project can be anything, including any issue related to sexual and reproductive health. The teacher will give weekly consultations to the students and guide the project implementation process. In this case, the teacher's salary for one hour per week is also financed by the state.

Learning resources

The 2020-30 Georgian National Youth Policy Concept aims to provide young people with relevant up-to-date subject material concerning reproductive health in new textbooks. In addition, the national assessment document on 'Sexual and reproductive health and rights' prepared by the Office of the Public Defender of Georgia in 2019 supports the development of age-appropriate educational materials for CSE for students.

3.4. Teachers

The Georgian National Youth Policy Concept for 2020-2030 supports an increase in the number of well-trained and qualified teachers in issues related to a healthy lifestyle and reproductive health. The national assessment document on 'Sexual and reproductive health and rights' aims to support teachers and schools, especially in remote, high mountainous villages, in strengthening informal and formal learning on human sexuality.

There is no mandate for teachers to be trained in the delivery of sexuality education as part of their pre-service or in-service training.

3.5. Schools

There are some youth-friendly SRH services, but prices are high for both young people and for the general population, and there is no specific connection with schools. The state does not include contraceptives on the list of medications that are part of government health care programmes. The 2020-30 Georgian National Youth Policy Concept aims to ensure that young people have access to SRH services in accordance with the 2017-30 National Maternal and New Born Health Strategy, which ensures the provision of these services to young people in a youth-friendly manner.

4. Governance

4.1 Responsible ministries

The Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia is responsible for enacting education in healthy lifestyles, which is still being developed with the support of the UNFPA country office in Georgia, non-governmental organizations, and other international organizations.

4.2. Level of responsibility/decentralization and autonomy

Local self-government authorities are significant actors in policy implementation. According to the 2020-30 Georgian National Youth Policy Concept, 'state institutions and governmental agencies are responsible for the implementation of youth policy within their competence and will pay attention that the strategies and programs implemented by them in connection with the youth should comply with the youth policy principles and spirit, even if they are not specified in the youth policy'.