THE Ministry of Health and Medical Services is working with the Ministry of Education to implement a comprehensive sexual education program in schools.
Ministry of Health principal medical officer for Sexual and Reproductive Health and HIV Unit Harm Reduction, Dr Sailosi Soqo, said this while speaking at the 43rd Fiji Head Teachers Association Annual Conference in Nadi yesterday.
Dr Soqo said Fiji’s current family life curriculum was outdated and highlighted the importance of comprehensive sexual education in reducing sexual risk-taking among young people.
“Evidence shows that comprehensive sexual education reduces sexual risk-taking, increases contraception, and reduces the time when they are sexually active,” he said.
Dr Soqo said school-based abuse prevention programs had been shown to work, with teachers playing an important role in protecting vulnerable children.
“All these children coming through your school don’t have to be a statistic.”
He said the Ministry of Health could support teachers in addressing the challenges faced by vulnerable children, but it could not do so alone.
“From my side, I just want to let you know that you are not alone,” he said.
“The Ministry of Health is here to assist, but we cannot do it by ourselves. We need people like you, teachers on the ground, looking after very vulnerable populations that can help us prevent the 25,000 HIV cases by 2029.”
