(Njogu wa Njeri is a columnist and a trained journalist)
The commencement of this year’s KCPE and KCSE triggered hot debates surrounding children’s morals and teenage pregnancies, provoking public outcry and call for action.
However, until now, it is not clear as to where the blame lies or who is tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that school-going children are well equipped with adequate sex education.
Further, there is no sign that any one party will admit neglecting their mandate to curb teenage pregnancies and the rising cases of children engaging in sex orgies.
If you ask most parents, sex education has never been an easy subject to discuss with their children in addition to being uncertain on the right time to issue the usual disclaimer – never let anyone touch your private parts.
The scanty information parents share with their children and the vague sex topics they are taught in school do not suffice.
The resultant state is characterised by curious teenagers eager to explore but without a reliable guide and adequate information on the risks involved.
Parents have entrusted the teachers with imparting all the required knowledge to the pupils who end up sexually abusing them as they blindly confide in them coupled with the reverence they show for them.
The responsibility to educate our children about sex issues should neither be left to teachers nor to parents. It is a joint responsibility.
The government, through the Ministry of Education, should also revise the curriculum to include more comprehensive sex education to children as they advance in their respective grades through primary to secondary school.
Additionally, parents should not shy away from openly discussing sex topics especially in such a modern world where the media and the internet are awash with erotic content that has played a big role in misleading our children.
Although curbing the prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases and teenage pregnancies need an all-inclusive approach, appropriate and adequate sex education is the most crucial step in addressing the menace.
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