The school curriculum in Nepal on the subject of Health, Population, and Environment includes a chapter on sex education and it’s been taught in almost every school in Nepal but because of the reason teachers rarely address the students’ curiosity the students lack an opportunity to know about their body, sexuality, sexual health and the changes their body go through. There are common cultural and religious factors where a considerable number of the teachers understand SRHR as a controversial issue bringing about societal condemnation and therefore would not want to engage in debates which might be contentious. Moreover, there exists a great fear that education on aspects of sex will bring about what they refer to as ‘early sexual maturity’ in the children being taught, an aspect that may promote early engagements in sex. As such, this creates an obstacle to meaningful conversations about relevant health issues. In addition, teachers are concerned about loss of moral leadership: such issues, they believe will eventuate in erosion of respect and authority over learners, which they hold dear in the quest to control the class.Due to this, they find it difficult to address the changes they come up with regarding their own sexual identities and bodily changes. Talking about these issues is considered taboo even today and people rarely talk about these issues openly. Considering it as a taboo and not being able to talk about it openly and comfortably is one of the many reasons why adolescents and people with curiosity turn to watching porn and accessing digital sites to learn these things.
In a survey conducted among college students, it was found that majority of the adolescents hesitate to share their concerns on sexuality, reproductive health, and gender identities but it is important that every adolescent should know that they have the right to learn about their body, their sexuality and explore their curiosities via the authentic online or offline means they have. CSE is an important means for developing healthy relationships among today’s youth as well as ensuring that they are well informed about consent, boundaries, and emotions. It improves social-emotional learning and helps teenagers deal with their sexuality in a more constructive way due to enhanced communication skills and community connections which in turn improves their quality of life overall. It is our duty as youth that the problems we face regarding sexual issues, violence, our bodies, and our identities should also not be the problem of people younger than us. As a society, we should try to support the younger generation to have access to accurate and reliable information to prevent them from facing the challenges we did during our time because of a lack of knowledge on the issue from traditional teaching methods and very little access to digital information.
The importance of digital comprehensive sexual education in enhancing adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health is becoming more widely acknowledged. In addition, a large percentage of young people use digital platforms to obtain information about comprehensive sexual education. The information provided by digital means can fill in the gaps left by traditional education on comprehensive sexual education. A young person frequently uses the digital environment as a primary source of information about sexuality, according to an increasing corpus of research. Internet plays a very important role in the young generation in the modern world since it gives access to information almost instantly. In some cases such as that of sexual education, the Internet enables an individual to look up something which may be regarded as inappropriate in a sheltered context. This gives an opportunity to the youth to self-educate on sexual health, making learning and discussion of such awkward topics more comfortable. Comprehensive sexual education is one of the most effective ways to promote gender equality and other rights. Providing them with accurate information about their rights, choices, and health, benefits many adolescents worldwide. Since young people are frequently more comfortable finding information online than in traditional educational settings, the use of digital platforms in sex education offers special chances to target this age group.
According to the various literatures, comprehensive sexual education is crucial for Nepal. The literature identifies the importance of incorporating CSE into educational policy, taking into account the specific social concerns of child marriage and teen pregnancy, in terms of youth empowerment. According to the literature evaluation, digital platforms and community involvement are crucial for effectively delivering sex education. While there has been some progress in terms of curriculum adequacy and sociocultural acceptance of the education provided, recommendations are made to improve teacher training and resource availability to ensure a holistic approach that is consistent with Nepal’s development goals and international commitments such as SDG Goal 3 and 4, International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), Beijing Platform for Action and so on.
Comprehensive Sexual Education is a recognized concept in the context of Nepal. CSE in Nepal a few years back was only limited to the reproductive health of an individual and not more than that. Comprehensive Sexual Education (CSE) is regarded with suspicion due to sociocultural challenges, the apprehension of encouraging sexual activity, and misconceptions about what it entails. Most parents and teachers refrain from talking about sex, assuming that such talk may fuel wrong behavior in children. This stigma creates obstacles to the realization of comprehensive education and discourse on such issues as sexual health, society, and comprehensive sexuality education.The cultural stigma stuck around the topic has led to the lack of knowledge among adolescents and impacted their lives in many ways such as many of the girls who had their mensuration for the first time consider it as a disease, and many non-non-binary people I had met had faced the bully during their adolescents because of lack of information on comprehensive sexual education among the people and also to themselves, many girls losing their life because of early pregnancy and many more. Effective sexual education becomes an essential tool for empowering youth in the face of the nation’s high incidence of gender-based violence, teen pregnancies, child marriage, identifying and understanding their sexuality, and many more.
In the present context, Nepal’s understanding of this notion has widened the scope of CSE to gender identity, sexuality, sexual rights, consent, and more than just reproductive rights. The government recently has made a significant positive change in CSE by updating the curriculum and adding more comprehensive topics to it such as adding different terminologies used for identifying gender and sexuality and so on. However, there still remains a major challenge to effective CSE because of the lack of expert teachers in the school or lack of teachers having enough knowledge on CSE to teach the students properly. In Nepal, caste, gender, and socioeconomic position are three intersecting elements that function as major barriers to CSE. Education and information about sexual health are systematically denied to underprivileged people, particularly women, and members of lower castes. Because of this inequality, there is a need for inclusive policies that address the gaps that lead to hazards like early marriage and risky sexual practices. However, this challenge seems to be temporarily solved by the various organizations in Nepal that work for the promotion of effective CSE. Also, Nepal’s rapid technical advancements create new opportunities for sex education. But a comprehensive strategy is also required to address these intersectional issues which help in the effective implementation of inclusive laws which guarantee all adolescents fair access to CSE.
Digital means are becoming increasingly crucial for conveying information that traditional modes of dissemination do not cover. Educational platforms and digital resources make it easier for adolescents to access CSE, allowing them to seek knowledge that suits their specific needs. Nepal has various legal frameworks on CSE such as the National Adolescent Health and Development Strategy, 2000, National Youth Policy, 2010 and the Right to Safe Motherhood and Reproductive Health Act, 2018 which has enshrined a provision regarding the inclusion of sexual health education in school curriculum emphasizing on sexual health safety and providing access to reproductive health and services for adolescents and overall emphasizes the need for educational initiatives. However, the legal frameworks haven’t enshrined the provision of providing information on CSE through digital means. Therefore, it indirectly steps backward from providing reliable information and making it accessible to all. Using random websites for Comprehensive Sexual Education is very risky because of the inaccurate information and obscene content. There should be state control so that all the available information meets certain requirements and includes basic issues such as consent or emotional wellbeing. This way, youths are empowered with the right information in preparation for healthy sexual growth and the government could have enshrined it in a legal framework and could have developed official sites, websites, apps, and many digital mediums through which adolescents and whoever wants the information on CSE can get it.
In a survey I conducted to know about the status of CSE among students I found that many adolescents are already using both online and offline resources such as digital news, articles, videos, online lectures and books and so on to learn about sexuality. Most express that internet resources have positively influenced their views on relationships and health. They support the availability of CSE materials online, reflecting a strong demand for digital access to this essential educational resource.
This digital area can provide the needed dynamic and convincing learning experiences. However, challenges remain, such as separating between legitimate and false information. Additionally, unequal access to digital devices will lead to unequal access to information. In addition, there’s the matter of online security and privacy. People need to be mindful of the digital footprints they leave behind when looking for private information. It takes time and effort to ensure that all digital content in CSE is accurate, culturally sensitive, and suitable.
Adolescents’ awareness of sexuality can be greatly enhanced by carefully incorporating traditional and digital teaching approaches. Considering today’s behavior of adolescents’ increased reliance on technology, digital CSE is an excellent chance to improve access to knowledge on sexual health, gender identity, consent, and reproductive rights. To empower Nepali adolescents, digital comprehensive sexual education is essential. Thus, the best way to develop a just and healthy society is to combine traditional educational methods with the use of technology to create a more inclusive and knowledgeable environment for the next generation.