The Department of Education (DepEd) placed Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) under review after finding it “confusing”.
Senate Committee on Basic Education chairperson, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, criticized the inconsistency of Department Order No. 31, which mandates CSE for young children, even though the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health (RPRH) law specifies that it should apply to adolescents, or those aged 10 to 19.
“It was expanded all the way to kindergarten which is different from the intention of the framers of the RH law,” Gatchalian said.
DepEd undersecretary for legal and legislative affairs, Filemon Ray Javier, confirmed that the status of CSE and the order governing it are under review.
“In fact, the current leadership of the Department of Education acknowledges the fact that there may be some instances of confusion. That is why we have a directive currently to review Department Order 31 and revise if necessary and ensure that the implementation will be properly done,” Javier said.
“This is a very culturally sensitive topic… If you are saying that there is confusion then how do we expect our teachers to teach CSE with clarity on the ground?” Gatchalian responded.
According to Javier, the agency agrees that CSE should only be taught to children aged 10 and above.
“DepEd is aligned also with that thinking that the sex education, sexuality education, must begin from 10 to 19 years old because that is what RH law provided,” Javier said.
