Kathmandu: Stakeholders have emphasized the importance of integrating sexual and reproductive health education into school-level textbooks to effectively address related challenges among schoolchildren.
According to National News Agency Nepal, this call to action was highlighted at a two-day orientation programme on Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights organized by Skill Information Society Nepal and Plan International Nepal, held in Kathmandu. Participants at the event stressed the urgent need to fill the existing knowledge gap and increase awareness on sexual and reproductive health by incorporating comprehensive textbook-based education on the subject.
Khumananda Subedi, Executive Director of Skill Information Society Nepal, asserted that many challenges related to sexual and reproductive health could be mitigated if these topics are included in school curricula. He advocated for the implementation of adolescent-centric educational planning to yield positive outcomes in this area. Subedi also criticized the current optional status of health education in school textbooks, insisting that sexual education should be made a mandatory subject.
Khem Karki, an expert in sexual and reproductive health, pointed out that these issues are often not openly discussed in society, despite their universal importance. He urged for greater advocacy and collaboration between media and civil society organizations to raise awareness and educate the public on sexual and reproductive health matters.
Journalists from various districts, including Dhanusha, Mahottari, Banke, Bardiya, Kalikot, and Jumla, attended the orientation programme, which concluded on Saturday.