Parents’ views on teaching comprehensive sexuality education to their young children in Zimbabwean schools

Authors

  • Thaddeus (Teddy) Mahoso, Baisago University
  • Roy Venketsamy University of KwaZulu-Natal
  • Zijing Hu University of Johannesburg

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17159/ijtl.v19i1.18859

Keywords:

comprehensive sexuality education, parents, learners, child sexual abuse

Abstract

There is an increase in child sexual abuse among young learners in Zimbabwe (Mahoso, 2020), therefore, there is an urgent need for comprehensive sexuality education to be implemented. This study aimed to establish the views of parents on teaching comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) to young children in primary schools. Most schools in Zimbabwe are avoiding teaching topics on CSE. This resulted in young learners being deprived of age appropriate CSE knowledge and their rights and responsibilities informed by the ecological theoretical framework. A qualitative approach within the interpretivist paradigm was applied with a case study design. Data were gathered using a semi-structured interview schedule. Purposive sampling was used to select 10 parents. The study revealed that parents’ cultural and religious beliefs impacted their views. Parents believed that sexuality education content is taboo and against their norms and values. They indicated that CSE content would encourage sexual activities among children. The study recommended continuous education on the importance of CSE and intensive advocacy campaigns to be initiated by all stakeholders. Parents should become involved in the development of a CSE curriculum framework for primary schools. Parents and teachers should work together to support the teaching of CSE to children.

Author Biographies

  • Thaddeus (Teddy) Mahoso,, Baisago University

    Dr Thaddeus (Teddy) Mahoso is an Early Childhood Development lecturer at Botswana Open University. He holds a Diploma in Education with specialisation in Infant Education from the University of Zimbabwe, Bachelor of Education Early Childhood Education from Great Zimbabwe University former Midlands State University, Master of Early Childhood Education from the University of Zimbabwe and a PhD from the University of Pretoria. He also holds a certificate of excellence in the production of Distance and elearning materials and a Certificate in Competence Based Assessment. He worked as a full-time lecturer at Joshua Mqabuko Polytechnic in Zimbabwe heading the Theory of Early Childhood Education subject area from 2013 to 2019 and as a part-time lecturer at Midlands State University, Women's University in Africa and Zimbabwe Open University. He joined Baisago University in Botswana in 2019 and left to join Botswana Open University in 2020. He has taught from certificate to master’s levels. His area of research interest is Comprehensive Sexuality Education and child protection. 

  • Roy Venketsamy, University of KwaZulu-Natal

    Prof Roy Venketsamy is the Academic Head: Department of Childhood Education at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. He is an ECD specialist with numerous years of experience in teaching, learning and curriculum development. Prof Roy comes from a strong curriculum background where he was responsible for the development and training of teachers in the RNCS, NCS and CAPS. His research focus is ‘Educational transformation in a diverse context through invitational teaching and learning’. He has a keen interest in teacher development with a vision of promoting Play-pedagogy, Lesson study, Inclusive Education and Comprehensive Sexuality Education. He was responsible for the development and management of the CSE scripted lesson plans for South African schools. He has co-authored several book chapters and published numerous articles in national and international journals. He supervised many MEd and PhD studies. For his excellent supervision skills, he was awarded the ‘Best Supervisor in the Faculty of Education’ in 2019 and 2022 at the University of Pretoria. He presented numerous papers at conferences. He serves as a peer reviewer for several accredited journals. His passion is research and supporting emerging academics. He is also a member on the board of various journals nationally and internationally.

  • Zijing Hu, University of Johannesburg

    Zijing Hu is a Traditional Chinese Medicine doctor and a Senior lecturer in the Department of Complementary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa. He is responsible for the teaching of the acupuncture programme at the university. His research focus is on teaching and learning to improve learning outcomes. He has extensive knowledge in the field of traditional and complementary medicine. His focus is on quality education provisioning within a South African context. He is an active researcher in education, has published articles, and has written several book chapters focusing on teaching and learning and assessment. He has participated and presented at numerous educational conferences nationally and internationally. His research focus is complementary medicine, professional teacher development and administering alternative medicine within a South African context. He is one of the top researchers in his department at the University of Johannesburg. 

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Published

21-05-2024

Issue

Vol. 19 No. 1 (2024): The Independent Journal of Teaching and Learning

Section

Practitioners' Corner

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How to Cite

Parents’ views on teaching comprehensive sexuality education to their young children in Zimbabwean schools. (2024). The Independent Journal of Teaching and Learning, 19(1), 145-159. https://doi.org/10.17159/ijtl.v19i1.18859

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