FOR SA stopped forced CSE rollout

Facts

‍In 2019, FOR SA discovered that the Department of Basic Education (DBE) had quietly printed and prepared Structured Lesson Plans and Educator Guides to teach Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) in public schools as part of the Life Skills (LS) and Life Orientation (LO) curriculum. This initiative was launched without proper consultation with parents or School Governing Bodies (SGBs). Additionally, USAID provided R500 million to support the development and rollout of this content in South African schools.

Globally, CSE programs created by organisations like UNESCO and the WHO have raised concerns, as they promote explicit sexual content and controversial views on sexuality, often prioritising these over age-appropriate, biological education.

FOR SA intervened, making formal submissions to the DBE and launching a media campaign to inform parents. We emphasised that parents have a legal right to raise their children in line with their own moral values and religious beliefs. Additionally, we cited international research indicating that CSE programs have failed to delay sexual activity, promote abstinence, or effectively reduce teenage pregnancy and STDs.

Without FOR SA’s Involvement

Parents’ rights to determine the moral values taught to their children, especially on sensitive topics like sexuality, would have been overridden by the State. This would have undermined the family unit and sidelined parental authority in shaping children’s education. Due to substantial public pressure, the DBE agreed to expand its public consultation and acknowledged the right of SGBs to choose CSE content that is more culturally and age-appropriate.