Perception of Students & Teachers on Reproductive Health Education

Reproductive health education is critical in addressing the alarming rates of sexual infections and diseases among adolescents. The essence of educating youth on their reproductive health and sexuality is critical as it helps them in making informed decisions related to their sexuality and health aside reducing the rate of sexual risky behaviours. Such education is further aimed at enhancing sociocultural relations as well as encourage young people to seek relevant information to enhance their sexual development. In Ghana, teachers are the primary sources of information for students and the quality of such information churned out by educators to students depends on his/her confidence, perceptions, knowledge and skills. Most educators are adamant and reluctant in teaching students about their sexual and reproductive health systems. Globally, about 2.1 million adolescent girls get impregnated each year and more than 600,000 teenage pregnancies have been recorded in Ghana between 2016 and 2021 while between 2016 and 2021, Ghana has recorded more than 100,000 new HIV infection cases. The research aimed at exploring the perceptions of educators and students on reproductive health and its related issues in Ghana as well as understand why there is low rate of education on reproductive health in schools. In addition, the research examined what informs educators and students on the investigated matter. A sample of 85 respondents were interviewed. Results show that religious commitments and personal biases inform teachers and students when it relates to reproductive health issues. Most educators and students do not use contraceptives during sexual intercourse because they believe they are not prune to contracting diseases and infections. Condom usage amongst students stands at 28% and more females tend to have sex earlier than males. Furthermore, 69.4% of students don’t believe in contracting infections and diseases with just a single unprotected sex. The best modality to encourage students to be educated about their reproductive health issues is by including it into the school curriculum, training teachers on the issue and making counselling sessions available to students and ensuring their privacy when they confide in educators