Teach our children integrity not sex- Born Again leader Sserwada tells government
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The
leader of Born Again churches in Uganda, Apostle Joseph Sserwadda has asked
government to channel its efforts into teaching integrity and hygiene among
school going children instead of sexuality.
The
Ministry of Education recently revealed that it has started carrying out
adolescent health and sexuality education in schools to equip students with
information to manage themselves a move that has attracted a backlash
especially from religious leaders.
Speaking
to journalists on Sunday at Namboole stadium, Dr.Sserwadda who is also the
leader of Victory Christian Church in Ndeeba said government ought to
channel its efforts on other useful than sexuality education.
“We advise that the lower age children of 3 to 12 years should be taught hygiene and integrity instead of sex education,”Sserwadda said.
“The
ministry should engage parents more than teachers and their assistants who have
often proved to be abusive to the children.”
The
Born Again churches leader said government should focus much of its efforts on
seeing how to do away with the vice of corruption by instilling the seeds of integrity
in the school going children right from a tender age.
He noted that without such efforts it will be easy to fight corruption, adding that it is one of the main problems of the country other than sex that government wants to teach children.
Since
government hinted on the issue of teaching sexuality in schools, a number of
people have condemned government over the move.
Both the Catholic Church and Church of Uganda (CoU)
leaderships vehemently opposed the introduction of sexuality education in
schools in its current form.
They cite the age at which sexuality education will be
introduced to children saying doing it for three year old children as proposed
by government is not right.
The church questions the implementation and monitoring
mode and how it would be done by government.
Kampala diocese Archbishop Cyrian Lwanga on Christmas
attacked government over its plans to introduce sex education in schools.
“How can you teach sex
to children of between three and nine? We as religious leaders therefore do not
agree with the sexual framework and it cannot be implemented in our schools in
its current form,”Lwanga said during his Christmas sermon at Lubaga cathedral.
Government has always defended the move saying many opposed
to sex education have misunderstood it.
“What we are saying is that we want to arm these little ones
with the skill to tell when they are likely to be lured into sexual activity,” said
Education ministry Sexuality Education Cordinator Ismael Mulindwa recently.