Gatchalian wants CSE replaced with Reproductive Health Education
![Gatchalian wants CSE replaced with Reproductive Health Education](https://images.gmanews.tv/webpics/2024/12/win_gatchalian_12-9-24_2024_12_09_19_18_02.jpg)
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Wednesday called for the scrapping of the Department of Education’s Comprehensive Sexuality Education and replace it with a new curriculum on Reproductive Health Education.
The chairman of the Senate basic education committee made the suggestion a day after he led the hearing on DepEd’s implementation of Department Order 31 series 2018 which provided for the implementation of the CSE.
In a virtual press conference, Gatchalian, who earlier called for the temporary suspension of the CSE program, reiterated that the currently implemented sexuality education is not in line with the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law, which is the legal basis for the department order (DO).
“My recommendation is to scrap CSE, go back to the original intention of the RH law, which is (Reproductive Health) education. Tutal, nanggaling rin naman sa DepEd na ang legal basis ng CSE nila is the RH law. So let's go back to the original. Ang nangyari kasi, nag-morph, from sex education to sexuality education, which is not the intention of the RH Law,” Gatchalian told reporters.
(The DepEd said that their legal basis was the RH Law. So let’s go back to the original. What has happened was, it morphed from sex education to sexuality education, which is not the intention of the RH Law.)
“Pag ibabalik ‘yan sa RH education, tingin ko mas madali na. Kasi 'yan 'yung traditional na sex education na tinuturo natin. Matagal na tinuturo 'yan at matagal nang tinuturo 'yan sa ating bansa, sa private schools, sa public schools. I-enhance lang dahil may mga of course, ngayon, bago na. Ang mundo, bago ngayon,” he added.
(If we will go back to RH education, I think the implementation would be easier because we are already teaching traditional sex education in our schools. We just need to enhance it because we are in the modern era.)
According to Gatchalian, he already discussed the issue on the CSE with Education Secretary Sonny Angara along with Senator Pia Cayetano, the sponsor of the RH law, after the hearing in the Senate on Tuesday.
“Based on my analysis at nung tinignan ko ‘yung RH education, enough na ito para ma-address 'yung problema natin pagdating sa teenage pregnancies,” he said.
In an ambush interview Tuesday, DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara said they are open to Gatchalian's suggestion to temporarily suspend the implementation of CSE.
"I think we can do a temporary suspension while we are reviewing it. Permanent, we cannot. That's the mandate of the law. But certainly to correct certain flaws pointed out by the legislators, to ensure na age-appropriate nga siya, maybe we can do that. Kaunting corrections, tweaking," Angara told reporters.
While the Education secretary said he has not heard about the "confusion" among teachers who are implementing the CSE, Angara emphasized that these are "valid concerns."
Last week, Angara announced that the CSE being implemented under DO 31 will be undergoing review. —AOL, GMA Integrated News