Sex Education and Teenage Pregnancy in the Niger Delta: Implications for Secondary School Biology Curriculum in Nigeria

Abstract

Previous studies show that when Nigerian adolescent girls, especially those in the Niger Delta, become pregnant they drop out of school and may never go back again but become low level labourers or miscreants to the society. This study investigated the extent of teenagers involvement in sex, predisposition of females to pregnancy in the Niger Delta of Nigeria, the level of readiness of parents to help their teenage daughters if they become pregnant, the level of sex education in secondary schools, the content and context of sex education in the Biology curriculum and how it is reflected in the National policy on education and also examined the need to review the policy vis-à-vis sex education. The study adopted a survey design using Likert-response questionnaires to elicit responses from students, parents, secondary school teenagers and Biology teachers. The results of the analysis using frequency counts, percentages, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that teenage pregnancy is on the increase in the Niger Delta, sex education is not given a place of priority in the Education National Policy, teachers shy away from teaching it in schools, parents do not support sex education in schools but there is an urgent need to incorporate it into the Biology curriculum.