By Yunus S Saliu
The Gambia First Lady, Her Excellency Fatoumata Bah Barrow has Tuesday, 7th September, 2021 launched the Strengthening Access to Quality Comprehensive Health Education program in The Gambia for both in-and-out of school children.
Strengthening Access to Quality Comprehensive Health Education in The Gambia is an implementation research project conducted by Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education funded by International Development Research Center (IDRC), Canada.
Present at the launching ceremony included Ministers of Youth and Sport, Honorable Bakary Badjie; Minister of Health; Deputy Permanent Secretary representing the Minister of Basic and Secondary Education, Minister of Gender , Deputy Mayor of Banjul, counselors, parliamentarians, school principals, religious and community leaders, teachers and students among others.
In her launching remarks, the First Lady expressed delights to be part of the scholars performing the unprecedented task noting that the “occasion shall be recorded in the annals of our history when the time comes.”
She hinted the gathering that young people are usually faced with several challenges as they grow up and “these challenges have increased dramatically as a result of the present impressive advances in sciences.”
Noting that social media could be used positively but also negatively, it therefore becomes the ardent and dire need for parents, teachers, and religions leaders to put hands on deck and guide their children formidably.
Applauding the principal researcher, she said “launching this precious finding of a research conducted by able medical personnel in the name of Mrs Phebian Ina Grant-Sagnia, a seasoned nurse and a woman, entices us to have and build the hope that our girls are safe.”
Comprehensive health education as part of the school curriculum, she said, is long overdue, much more in these times; “the inclusion of comprehensive health education either as a standalone subject or into career subjects, would surely help our girls to be aware of changes that they experience as they grow and be able to protect themselves.”
First Lady Bah-Barrow, on behalf of people of The Gambia thanked International Development Research Centre (IDRC) for providing the much needed resurces to facilitate the research while also congratulated the Principal Research, Mrs Phebian Ina Grant-Sagnia and Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education for undertaking the vital research to unveil valuable information in relation to comprehensive health education among youth and school going students.
Speaking on behalf of the Minister of Basic and Secodary Education, …… said stated that Comprehensive Health Education is ideal for the children to know how to engage themselves in safe activities, know their physiological development, say no to early marriage and pregnancy.
He noted that research findings have outlined preventive measures to curb the spread of sexually transmitted diseases witnessing.
The Deputy Permanent Secretary went further that the “involvement of community leaders and other stakeholders, who play a crucial role in the educational career of these students, is indeed a good idea and commendable.”
“In our society, he continued “reproductive health education is surrounded with a lot of myths and these were some of the issues the research focused on and endeavoured to address.” Adding that, the study is designed into various phases, beginning with a survey and data collection, analyzing the data to inform the design and implementation of school and community-based programs, assessing the effects of implementation and drawing lessons and finally advising on how effectively, comprehensive health education could be coordinated across the country through the scaling up of the school and community-based programme, to other regions not covered by the study.
Dr Lamin Samateh, Honorable Minister of Health sent the ministry’s appreciation to the Principal Researcher, he said with her passion, dedication and determination she has put forward in pursuing the productive health in this country is not a secret to anyone.
The Minister noted that her intervention in the research project has started the initial process of collaboration between the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, especially when it comes to health education.
He disclosed that people have not been worry about reproductive issues because the youths do not know more about it “a lot of times we have adolescence get entangled in reproductive and sexuality issues, sexually transmitted diseases because they do not know what to do, so this is timely.”
He however named many areas which the two ministries have partnered why saying the present will go a long way as it is a very loudable.
Phebian Ina Grant-Sagnia, principal researcher gave the overall aim of the project saying is to strengthen access to quality comprehensive health educatin for adolescents in and out-of-school by designing and implementing school and community-based interventions.
She disclosed that school and community-based comprehensive health education plays a vital role in promoting the health and well-being of children and adolescents, presently and in their future.
According to her, to date, young Gambians are continuously exposed to sexual and reproductive health challenges, such as high cases of early marriages, teenage pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS, and sexual and gender-based violence.
In the last decades, she said, sexuality education has been a controversial issue in The Gambia, often portraying inaccurate information about sexuality through mass media outlets and traditional beliefs.
She therefore, highlighted on challenges related to the implementation of comprehensive health education in the school system, which include inadequate teaching hours spent on sexual and reproductive health topics; limited stakeholder participation in curriculum development; among others.
However, she affirmed that comprehensive health education will promote and facilitate the development and delivery of sexuality education programmes in educational system in The Gambia.
