LoveWorld kicks against sexuality education in children’s curriculum - Punch Newspapers

Speakers at the Global Town Hall Meeting organised by the LoveWorld Ministry of Information in Lagos recently.

Members of the LoveWorld Ministry of Information have raised concerns about the content of the nation’s educational curriculum, alleging that LGBTQ-related issues are being introduced into schools through Comprehensive Sexuality Education and other materials they consider inappropriate for children. They expressed concern over what they described as the increasing sexualisation of school curricula and the potential impact of sexuality-related content on children and young people, urging parents to take greater responsibility for their children’s education.  According to the group, LoveWorld is mobilising more than 400 child advocates globally to develop an alternative curriculum aimed at challenging what it considers harmful sexuality education content being introduced to children. Speaking at a Global Town Hall Meeting organised by the LoveWorld Ministry of Information in Lagos recently, the speakers called for greater parental scrutiny of sexuality education and school materials. The meeting, themed “Delivering and Protecting Children Globally from Satanic Curriculums & Agenda,” brought together legal practitioners, policy experts, child advocates and LoveWorld representatives to discuss comprehensive sexuality education, parental rights, curriculum development, international policies and digital content. The town hall takes place against a broader international discussion about children’s exposure to sexual content both inside and outside the classroom. In his submission,  a Legal Adviser to the Center for African Policy Research and Advisory, Sonnie Ekwowusi, stated that some Nigerian secondary school materials contain lessons touching on homosexuality, lesbianism, masturbation, sterilisation and sexual orientation. “Today, we have talked about the danger in teaching Comprehensive Sexuality Education in Nigeria’s secondary schools. We have highlighted the fact that topics such as masturbation, sterilisation, breast enlargement, homosexuality and lesbianism are being taught to boys and girls in Nigerian schools,” Ekwowusi explained. He further noted that the materials were being presented under the guise of sex education and urged parents to examine what their children were being taught. “We are saying this is a taboo. Where is this coming from? And we have agents and people in Nigeria who are participating in it,” he maintained. Ekwowusi also stated that some textbooks contained sexuality-related exercises and passages, including examples involving condoms, and maintained that parents should challenge materials they considered inappropriate. “Parents should wake up, organise themselves and say that this should be stopped,” he urged. He identified the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council as the body responsible for curriculum development and urged parents to raise concerns with the council. The Executive Director of the Center for African Policy Research and Advisory, Dr Segun Adebayo, focused on what he described as the difficulty many parents face in monitoring their children’s education because of work and other responsibilities. “You wake up in the morning as early as 6 or 7 am, you are rushing to work and coming back at 9 pm, and you do that throughout the three terms of your children. You don’t have time to look into their books,” Adebayo explained. He argued that this leaves parents vulnerable to discovering too late what their children are learning at school. “You would find out that somebody else is training your children. These people are not Nigerians. They are people who don’t believe what you believe. They don’t accept your values, and they rather want to change your values,” he warned. Adebayo called for increased public awareness and greater parental involvement in education policy, while also advocating the proposed African Charter on Family Values and Sovereignty as a possible framework for protecting what its proponents describe as African family values. Executive Minister of Education, LoveWorld, Dr Afolabi Oketunji, said the organisation was developing its own curriculum and educational materials while working with teachers and parents. “We have to redefine. They introduced it; we will introduce the right curriculum,” Oketunji declared. He explained that LoveWorld intended to produce educational materials through its publishing ministry and develop what it described as a Christ-centred approach across different subjects. Publishers ask court to halt NERDC textbook ranking policy FG to blacklist schools, publishers using unapproved textbooks NERDC disowns fake request for revised basic education curriculum Oketunji also placed particular emphasis on teachers, arguing that educators often teach according to the curriculum and materials provided to them. “Part of what we’re doing is re-culturing the teachers and educators themselves. Give them the right curriculum and help them understand the curriculum itself,” he explained. He also announced plans to make parents more directly involved in the curriculum-awareness process. “We’re going to let the parents know what is being taught to their children in school. We’re going to make it plain,” he added. According to him, the organisation’s approach would extend beyond LoveWorld-owned schools to broader engagement with parents, educators and relevant institutions. President of Family Watch International, Sharon Slater, also raised concerns about the promotion of sexual and reproductive health programmes, particularly where they involve comprehensive sexuality education and issues relating to sexual orientation and gender identity. She maintained that parents should have a central role in decisions concerning their children’s education. “Parents are the first and most important educators of their children,” Slater stressed. Slater, whose organisation has consultative status with the United Nations, also questioned the influence of international development assistance and donor funding on education and health policies in African countries. International law expert Greg Slater challenged the argument that international law requires countries to introduce comprehensive sexuality education in schools. “There is no international legal right to Comprehensive Sexuality Education. There is also no international treaty that requires countries to introduce CSE into their schools,” he argued. He also stressed the need for parents to know what their children encounter in school. “Parents need to be vigilant. They need to ask questions, find out what is being taught in schools and examine the materials being used to teach their children,” he advised. A member of the Governing Council of the African Bar Association, Richard Kakeeto, similarly distinguished between legally binding international treaties and policy documents or recommendations that he described as “soft law.” “There is a difference between what is legally binding and what is simply a policy recommendation,” Kakeeto noted. He argued that African countries should scrutinise policies affecting children and ensure that they are consistent with their constitutions, laws and international obligations. Meanwhile, Executive Minister of Children’s Affairs, LoveWorld, Christine Okechukwu, said the organisation was developing a Global Parents Forum to strengthen parental involvement in issues affecting children. “Parents are the first educators of their children,” Okechukwu emphasised. She also disclosed plans to train child advocates and produce music, animation, games and other content intended to provide children with what the organisation considers positive alternatives. Okechukwu maintained that parents should not leave their children’s upbringing and education entirely to schools or other institutions. Also speaking at the event, the Minister of Kiddies Media Ministry, Mrs Jessie Kalu, represented by Pastor Tayo Tubo, also warned that the debate over children’s education now extends beyond classrooms because of their exposure to digital platforms. Our children are consuming content every day, so we must intentionally give them the right content,” Tubo cautioned. He highlighted LoveWorld’s children-focused digital materials, including videos, songs, stories and educational content, as part of the organisation’s response to what it considers harmful influences. The speakers called on parents to become more deliberate about monitoring both the educational materials and digital content their children encounter, while LoveWorld pledged to expand its curriculum, teacher-training, publishing and child-focused initiatives. The organisation also said it would continue engaging government institutions and other stakeholders as it pushes for greater parental participation in decisions concerning what Nigerian children are taught. Kindly share this story:

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