Comprehensive Sexuality Education
1. Context and background
In Uzbekistan, the health education curriculum was introduced in secondary schools in 2002. Since then, a multifaceted strategy of lobbying, capacity building, institutionalization, partnership development, and national scale-up has resulted in the systematic extension of the programme. Since 2018, Uzbekistan has made significant efforts to eliminate violence against women and offer boys and girls equal opportunities to attain their full potential.
2. Terminology
Topics related to sexuality education are referred to as courses in ‘reproductive health’, ‘sex education’, ‘health’, and ‘lifestyle’.
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: 1994 |
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: 2009 |
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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UNESCO Convention against Discrimination in Education Ratification date: 1997 |
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. |
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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
The 2019 Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan on the Protection of Reproductive Health of Citizens outlines the country's commitment to integrating SRH services into the country’s system of universal health coverage. It also mandates the improvement of the reproductive healthcare system, men and women having equal opportunities to exercise their reproductive rights, and the enhancement of citizens' reproductive health knowledge. In addition, Article 13 states that the reproductive health of adolescents must be protected through the implementation of sexual education and family preparation programmes. Reproductive health education, which includes sexual education, must be based on approved curricula specially developed by education authorities and government health agencies, in close consultation with the families of minors. These educational activities must be led by professionals with medical training.
The 2019 Resolution on Improving the Quality and Scope of Medical Care for Women, Pregnant Women, and Children of Reproductive Age (No. Pq-4513) aims to improve reproductive health in teenage girls. Interventions include the development and execution of a special curriculum that covers the fundamentals of a healthy lifestyle for students in secondary schools, academic lyceums, and vocational schools.
According to 2020 Decree No. Kq-105-Iv, the State must revise the normative and legal documents to improve the system of the country’s gynaecology system, ensure cooperation between government agencies and civil society institutions around reproductive health, and strengthen reproductive health education.
3.3. Curricula
Mandatory or optional
There are no compulsory courses on sexuality education, but certain topics related to CSE are included in the core curriculum.
Model of delivery
Topics related to reproductive health education are integrated across various mandatory subjects and covered in specific grades as a stand-alone subject within the health education framework.
Comprehensiveness of content
In secondary schools, issues of reproductive health and the physiology of adolescents are studied in ‘health lessons’, which are integrated into the subject framework. Subjects include the ‘surrounding world’, natural science, and physical education for grades 1 to 4, which are covered in the ‘fundamentals of a healthy generation’ in grades 5 to 8. In grades 9 to 11, the ‘cultivating a healthy lifestyle’ course is integrated into biology, technology, and physical education. In grades 9 and 10 it falls under biology, which includes studying topics on reproductive health and physiology. In the 2020-2021 academic year, the subject ‘nurture/education/upbringing’ (Tarbiya), covering topics on reproductive health education, was introduced in grades 1-11.
Learning resources
Topics related to SRH are included within other subjects instead of being taught as stand-alone subjects. The learning materials are those used for the specific academic subject.
3.4. Teachers
Concepts related to reproductive health education have been included in the post-graduate education of school teachers (UNFPA 2014). The Ministry of Higher and Specialized Secondary Education, the Ministry of Public Education, the Ministry of Health, and the Youth Union, with the support of UNFPA, have developed a teachers’ manual to be used for grades 10 and 11 in secondary schools.
3.5. Schools
According to the 2019 Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan on the Protection of Reproductive Health of Citizens Article 6, the state shall guarantee to its citizens the ‘protection of their reproductive health and realization of their reproductive rights; accessibility and continuity of services in the sphere of protection of the reproductive health of citizens; the ability to make decisions on forming a healthy family without discrimination, threats, and violence; non-intervention in their private life, non-disclosure of personal and family secrets; free of charge primary health care; realization of their reproductive rights as their own decision’. Article 5 of the Law dictates that the state shall create the conditions ensuring equal opportunities for men and women to realize their reproductive rights. In addition, Article 10 & 17 dictates that all citizens have the right to ‘access the safe ways of birth control and use the contraception’ and ‘citizens shall have the right to choose contraception methods, use or refuse to use them’. Article 13 of the Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan on the Protection of Reproductive Health of Citizens (2019) regarding the protection of the reproductive health of minors states that ‘services in the sphere of protection of the reproductive health of minors shall be guaranteed by the State and be free of charge; provision of information in the sphere of protection of the reproductive health of minors shall be anonymous and confidential’.
A bill has been drafted to amend the Code of Administrative Responsibility of the Republic of Uzbekistan to establish administrative liability for persons found guilty of violating the procedure for medical examination of students of secondary schools, academicians lyceum, and vocational colleges.
4. Governance
4.1 Responsible ministries
The Ministry of Public Education is responsible for approving the programmes to be implemented in schools, including subjects covering reproductive health and adolescent physiology. Other ministries involved in policy development related to sexuality education are the Ministry of Public Health, Mahalla and Family Support Ministries, and the Agency for Youth Affairs.
4.2. Level of responsibility/decentralization and autonomy
The programmes on reproductive health education were developed in cooperation with educational authorities and families, taking into account the age and psychological and physical characteristics of students. (UNESE,2019).
4.3. Government budget allocation
No information was found.
5. Monitoring and reporting
The National Master Plan on Statistics 2020-2025 aims to increase data, statistics and improve the statistics system. Article 4 of the Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan on the Census states that the purpose is to obtain reliable information about the situation and dynamics of Uzbekistan's population structure to develop and implement state policy on the country's social, economic, and political development. As stated in Article 5, the key outcomes of the census will be having a baseline to estimate the population structure, measures to promote the health of the population and the living circumstances of women and children, and enhanced social assistance (UNFPA,2020). A single information system, the ‘Electronic registration of births and deaths’, has been jointly launched by maternity hospitals, civil registry offices, and public service centres.
