Comprehensive Sexuality Education

One-quarter  of the population of Bangladesh is in the 15–29 age group. According to the 2017-2030 National Strategy for Adolescent Health, adolescent health programming in the country is necessary due to a number of factors, including: low levels of knowledge on sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV; a high prevalence of child marriage and the correspondingly high levels of adolescent fertility; and limited access to quality and age-appropriate information and services. The mean age for a woman’s first birth is low, with almost one out of ten women who give birth being adolescents aged between 10 and 19. About half of the women in Bangladesh utilize some form of modern contraceptive and the percentage has improved incrementally over the past decade. While the prevalence of HIV in Bangladesh is low, cases have been increasing steadily, especially among women. According to UNICEF, only one out of ten adolescents has comprehensive knowledge of HIV. Men appear to show more awareness than women due to them having greater access to opportunities for both general and health education. At the adoption of the Asia and Pacific Ministerial Declaration on Population and Development (2013), representatives from Bangladesh stated that references such as ‘sexual orientation and gender identity’ and ‘sexual rights’ were concepts that Bangladesh ‘does not subscribe to nationally’.  

Bangladesh was the first country in the region to adopt a comprehensive national policy on HIV and STIs, which it did in 1997. Some form of sexuality education has been present in the curriculum since 2013. Progress has been made in the past decade in relation to family planning indicators such as higher contraceptive use and an increase in the proportion of women of reproductive age who have their family planning needs met. The government mostly focuses on educating youth about reproductive health through community health centres rather than through the education system. However, while Bangladesh has a strong policy basis for sexuality education, there is little available information on implementation, especially in the education sector.

The Constitution of the People‌‌‍’s Republic of Bangladesh (1972) recognizes gender equality as one of the fundamental human rights and instructs the states to endeavour ‘to ensure equality of opportunity and participation of women in all spheres of national life.’ 

Bangladesh’s 2010 National Education Policy lists the promotion of healthy physical and mental development of children as one of its main objectives. According to the policy, learners receive education on health care within science education at the primary level. At the secondary level, ‘the last two years will include gender studies and issues of reproductive health.’ The policy emphasizes the role of women’s education, stating that women's comprehensive development, empowerment and social advancement must be ensured. All schools should have primary health care services. 

The 2011 National Women Development Policy ensures the right to nutrition and physical and mental health of the highest standard throughout all the stages of the life cycle of women (childhood, adolescence, during pregnancy and in old age). The policy also states that the government should consider the reproductive health of women and reproductive rights in population planning. The government also has the responsibility to prioritize the health and development needs of female children and ensure their safety from harassment and abuse. 

The main objectives of the 2006 National Adolescent Reproductive Health Strategy are to: improve the knowledge of adolescents on reproductive health issues; create a positive change in the behaviour and attitude towards reproductive health by the gatekeepers of adolescents, including parents/guardians, teachers and religious leaders; reduce the incidence of early marriage and pregnancy among adolescent girls; reduce the incidence and prevalence of STIs, including HIV, among adolescents; and ensure that adolescents have easy access to adolescent-friendly health services and other related services. 

The Seventh Five Year Plan FY2016 – FY2020 ‘Accelerating Growth, Empowering Citizens’ lists objectives and targets towards achieving universal health coverage in the health, nutrition and population sector. This includes making improvements in reproductive health and family planning, particularly among vulnerable groups. The plan also specifically includes ensuring adolescent and reproductive health care. As the government aims to increase the average age of women’s first birth, education and counselling on family planning programmes are targeted at newly wedded couples and adolescents. The government also aims to increase the rates of contraception use. ‘Steps will be taken to ensure women’s decision making over reproductive health through proper education and information. The framework for women’s empowerment and gender equality, which is within the five-year plan, comprises of 4 strategic objectives. One of these objectives is to improve women and girls’ access to health care, life expectancy, nutrition, reproductive health, education, information, training, and other services that enables women to achieve better health and educational outcomes’. 

The Eighth Five Year Plan (2020-2025) mostly focuses on COVID-19 recovery strategies. It measures indicators listed in the Seventh Five Year Plan (2016-2020) and continues to follow the same strategies for goals such as reducing early-age female pregnancies and enhancing access to reproductive health education and health care. New goals include the provision of ‘universal access to reproductive and maternal health care’ and others related to reproductive and adolescent health improvement, such as: improving knowledge of reproductive health among women, men and particularly adolescents. Specifically this includes STIs, including HIV, abortion, infertility, and relevant legal and gender equity issues that are taken on by different government agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs); increasing access to reproductive and adolescent-friendly health services from frontline health personnel and relevant NGO workers at the individual level as well as through school-based programmes, effective social and community mobilization and the setting up of ‘adolescent corners’; creating positive change in the attitudes and behaviour towards reproductive health by protectors of adolescents (such as parents, guardians, teachers, religious leaders, and peers); and carrying out appropriate training of service providers of health and community health workers. The plan also states that education content is being reviewed to reduce gender bias and that the incorporation of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) issues and the teaching of reproductive health education for adolescents in the school curriculum should be ensured. 

The education section of the National Youth Policy 2017 states that the government should take measures to ‘include sexual and reproductive health and rights to sexual and reproductive health in the curriculum.’ The health and recreation section states that the government should ‘build awareness among youth about reproductive health, rights to reproductive health and about sexual health.’  

The National Strategy for Adolescent Health 2017-2030 states that ‘all adolescents, irrespective of their gender, age, class, caste, ethnicity, religion, disability, civil status, sexual orientation, geographic divide or HIV status, have the right to attain the highest standard of health.’ Reproductive health is one of the four priority thematic areas. There are three main strategies for this thematic area: i) to create an enabling environment at all levels – national and local – by strengthening legislation, policy development and implementation; ii) to integrate and strengthen age-appropriate comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) programmes at all academic and training institutions; and iii) to improve the SRH status of adolescents by undertaking a range of evidence-based and effective interventions. 

The National Strategy for Maternal Health 2019-2030 states that gender-focused and youth-friendly approaches are necessary to help promote healthy reproductive behaviour among adolescents. Strategies include school-based programmes and peer-to-peer groups that teach life skills for both in-school and out of school adolescents. 

The relevant subgoals of the Education Sector Plan for Bangladesh 2020/21-2024/25 are to ensure access and equity to compulsory basic education, and to impart the relevant knowledge, skills, attitudes and values for learners to live a healthy life. The plan encourages regular health screenings for learners and teachers. 

One strategy in the 4th National Strategic Plan for HIV and AIDS Response 2018-2023 focuses on HIV prevention in the young population through awareness raising and connecting young people to existing services. The plan calls for continued HIV education through the mainstream academic curriculum, which draws from previous national strategic HIV response plans.

According to the Seventh Five Year Plan (2016 – 2020), in primary and secondary schools ‘activities will be undertaken to develop an adolescent health strategy including counselling, building awareness for adolescents on hygienic practices, nutrition, puberty, RTI [reproductive tract infection] /STD and HIV/AIDS.’ Components of sexuality education in the primary curriculum were not found. In the secondary curriculum, sexuality education components in the Physical Education & Health curriculum include topics such as physical changes during puberty, child marriage, child and adult pregnancy, violence, HIV, mental health and risky behaviours during adolescence. 

The education system in Bangladesh is separated into three streams: general Bangla-medium schools, religious schools, and English-medium schools. A 2013 textbook on physical education, health science and sports for grades 9–10, provided by the National Curriculum and Textbook Board, includes two relevant chapters, ‘Puberty & Reproductive Health’ and ‘Drug Addiction and AIDS.’ The textbook focuses mainly on the physical and mental aspects of puberty. The reproductive system is only described briefly in relation to pregnancy, but the section does not explain how one becomes pregnant or how to protect oneself from pregnancy or infectious diseases. 

SRH lessons are included in textbooks for grades 6–10. More recent textbooks for the secondary curriculum are available in Bangla.

Teacher preparedness and capacity building: Information was not found. 

Whether teachers are mandated to be trained on provision/delivery of sexuality education either as part of PRESET or INSET: The 2010 National Education Policy, states that ‘Trained teachers will be employed for physical education’ which is where sexuality content is often found. According to the comparative study on the Status of Sex Education in Bangladesh published in 2022, 10% of teachers receive training on sex education from the government or NGOs such as the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC). Of the foreign school teachers who work in international schools, 80% had received training in sex education from the schools themselves.