Comprehensive Sexuality Education

High school students view a video on teen pregnancy issues as part of the information outreach program by
the Puerto Princesa City Health Office. (Photo Source: ZFF).

Youth need and have the right to comprehensive information about their sexual and
reproductive health. There is growing international consensus and evidence that this
information should be age- and developmentally-appropriate and scientifically accurate.
Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) should be curriculum-based and
incremental, starting at an early age and providing new information that builds upon
prior learning. CSE is comprehensive in that it provides an understanding of sexual and
reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in the broader context of young people’s lives to
equip them with the knowledge and life skills they need to make informed decisions, to
enjoy their sexuality, to mitigate vulnerabilities (including those specific to the urban
environment), and to protect their health, well-being and rights.
In the Philippines, comprehensive sexuality education is governed by the following two
policies:
 Republic Act 10354, The RP-RH Act of 2012 This is a national policy that
mandates the Philippine Government to comprehensively address the needs of the
Filipino citizens when it comes to responsible parenthood and reproductive health.
Relevant salient provisions include: 1) access to reproductive health and family
planning services; 2) maternal health care services, including building capacities of
skilled birth attendants and improving facility-based deliveries; 3) delivery of
comprehensive sexuality education for the youth.
 DepEd Order #31, series of 2018. This issuance is entitled, the Policy
Guidelines on the Implementation of Comprehensive Sexuality Education, was
enacted pursuant to the provisions of the RP-RH Act of 2012. Learning materials on
CSE was developed in 2018 and submitted to DepEd Central Office for quality check,
approval and launching.
What are the benefits of CSE?
 Enables positive health-seeking behaviors by increasing knowledge about
different aspects of sexuality, behaviors and risks.
 Reduces risky sexual behaviors, increases knowledge and use of contraception
and can protect adolescents and young people from HIV by improving attitudes
related to SRH.
 Can reduce adolescent and youth vulnerabilities to violence by promoting bodily
integrity, self-confidence and negotiation skills, and gender-equitable norms.
How to implement
CSE has been shown to improve adolescent SRH knowledge, attitudes and behaviors
when implemented well. Before commencing the development of a CSE program,
stakeholders—including youth—should agree on the program’s aims. This has already
taken place. As a result, this approach simply provides the materials and guidance for
rolling out CSE trainings and providing teachers with how-to materials to develop their
own session guides.
For the National CSE Training, DepEd has prescribed that most teachers intend to
implement CSE but only a few of them have started. They need support  to increase
intention and behavior in implementing CSE and improve the quality of outcomes. See
the helpful tips on the right sidebar for examples.
The below steps are prescribed based on the insights from a Baseline Assessment of
Capacities in Teaching CSE of Philippines Public School Teachers from Regions 1, 7
and 11.

Step 1: Increase awareness about CSE

Step 2: Increase self-efficacy in teaching CSE
Step 3: Map and convene lead stakeholders in the city that
are involved or can be involved in CSE
Step 4: City sends formal communication to Department of
Education at the Central and Regional level regarding CSE
implementation
 Step 5: Mayor with TCI City Leadership Team/CIT or its
equivalent body together with DepEd Regional Director calls
for a high level meeting with the schools
Step 6: Create a detailed plan and budget for the
implementation of localized CSEs in the schools under the
target barangay utilizing existing materials
Step 7: Conduct preparatory work prior to the CSE launch for
school year 2021-2022
Step 8: Roll out of localized CSEs in target barangays
Step 9: Monitor and Evaluate the CSE implementation
Step 10: Adjust localized CSEs in the event that the
nationwide CSE is ready for implementation
Indicators for success
The CSE integration is considered successful when these have been attained: 
 Policy issuances of the LGUs supporting CSE
 Training of teachers 
 Actual integration of CSE in lesson plans of teachers
 Evidence of its short-term impact (i.e., quick survey on knowledge and attitudes
of students receiving lessons with CSE integration)
 Evidence at the outcome level (e.g., changes in adolescent birth rate)
Resources needed
Resources needed for interpersonal interface: 
 Venue 
 Equipment 
 Printed materials
What’s the evidence that CSE strengthens AYSRH
programming?
 CSE advances knowledge and use of contraception, particularly condoms.
 UNAIDS recommends CSE as one of the five pillars of HIV prevention, along
with economic empowerment and access to SRH services for young women and
adolescent girls and their male partners (particularly in high-prevalence locations).
 An analysis of evaluated CSE programs by Haberland (cited in Chandra-Mouli)
reveals that programs that incorporated an empowerment approach emphasizing
gender and rights were particularly effective in improving reproductive health outcomes.
 Interventions to increase demand for SRH services are most effective when
education and communication efforts are directly linked to the supply of services; where
there is community and social support for the provision of services; and where there are
multisectoral approaches (e.g., operating in both the health and education sectors).