Introduction
YPAR findings consistently showed that schools are the primary setting where youth and adolescents receive CSE. Teachers and school administrators are therefore the primary implementers and frontline messengers of CSE in practice. They are also the connection between learners and parents/communities exposing them to personal criticism if content or delivery becomes controversial.
Further, YPAR research conducted in Uganda, shows that teachers often struggle with “conflicting cultural schemas,” balancing expectations of moral guardianship with the delivery of rights-based CSE content. Similarly, research highlighted how teachers’ professional identities influence selective teaching practices, often prioritising abstinence over comprehensive topics like contraception and gender. This research suggests that while Uganda has made policy progress, practical challenges in classrooms persist, necessitating greater focus on teachers’ training, community engagement, and accountability mechanisms.
Meanwhile, in Malawi, teachers reported relying on general teaching training and expressed uncertainty about how to handle sensitive SRHR topics. One teacher explained, “… we rely on our general teaching training… [For] many of us, it’s hard for us to be sure [that] we are doing the right thing without training…”. This lack of specialised training has led to sensitive topics such as contraception, consent, or gender power relations being avoided or delivered inconsistently.
Further YPAR findings include that while schools were the primary vehicles through which CSE is delivered, many youth participants described barriers to effective engagement on these topics due to a lack of privacy and a fear of judgment. Teachers play a pivotal role in ensuring that these barriers are not realised. These concerns have and will continue to limit open discussion of sexuality-related issues. Participants further reported that the absence of private counselling spaces and the public nature of some school-based sessions discouraged them from asking sensitive questions. Fear of ridicule from peers and concerns about confidentiality further reduced comfort, with some participants even expressing worry that teachers might disclose personal information to parents or other authority figures.
Inclusive delivery
YPAR research found that although the positive outcomes of CSE are reflected across learner groups, including in-school and out-of-school youth, and for youth with disabilities, access to and effective delivery of CSE is still focused on urban areas within mainstream schooling. The effect of this is that youth with disabilities are too often left out of CSE delivery in practice.
In Ethiopia specifically, the research highlighted a critical need for CSE to reach rural youth and youth with disabilities, who are often marginalised from CSE information that reaches other young people. Young people with disabilities also face additional, specific barriers including stigma, exclusion from mainstream CSE delivery, and limited access to information in a format they can actually use.
To bridge these gaps in the classroom, this requires the following from teachers and educators:
- Do not assume a learner with a disability needs less of the curriculum, or a simplified version of it. This is reflected in the same positive outcomes emerging from youth with disabilities from standardised CSE content.
- Use inclusive teaching methods. This may include large-print, Braille, or audio versions of materials where a learner needs them and adapting how teachers check understanding for learners with different communication needs.
- Regularly check in with the school’s leadership whether any Braille, audio, or other accessible versions of CSE materials are available, and if not, whether producing them is something the school or Ministry can prioritise or resource.
