Abstract:
There has been alarming sexual health-related statistics that remain unchanged after
comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) has been part of the curriculum in South African
(SA) schools since the year 2000. The present study sought to examine adolescents' lived
experience of comprehensive sexuality education in South Africa. In this qualitative descriptive
study with a phenomenological lens of inquiry, 10 participants were purposively selected from
all 5 school quintiles in the Western Cape. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and data
was analysed with the help of ATLAS.ti. Based on participants' lived experience, the results
indicate that approaches of CSE deliverers1
as well as their delivery methods, disqualify
sexuality education (SE) in SA schools from being regarded as comprehensive. Moreover,
deliverers mostly teach from a top-down, one-sided approach where learners are excluded and
social inequality is reinforced. In addition, the delivery methods focus mainly on prevention,
encompassed with tactics that instil fear, disregard healthy sexuality and reinforce
discriminative gender roles. The study recommends that a collaborative approach be
considered towards the implementation of CSE that aligns not only with national and
international benchmarks, but also with individual and contextual needs
