HIV, AIDS education should start at 3rd rather than 8th grade – groups

Students in a classroom of the Commonwealth Elementary School in Quezon City. Photo taken on Aug. 22, 2022. (File photo by LYN RILLON / Philippine Daily Inquirer)

MANILA, Philippines — Advocacy groups on Wednesday said education on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) should be integrated into the curriculum of Grade 3 students, or for children as young as 8.

“Based on data, those affected are getting younger because they also hit their sexual debut at a young age,” Mara Quesada, executive director of Action for Health Initiatives, Inc., said during the launch of a media toolkit on HIV reporting.

“[Teaching them] at Grade 8 is too late already. If you want to improve the curriculum, it should be taught at a much earlier age,” she added, referring to the proposed curriculum of the Department of Education where HIV and AIDS lessons are being eyed to be taught to Grade 8 learners.

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Understand themselves better

For Anastacio Marasigan, president of TLF Share Collective Inc., there is “an appropriate way of teaching sex education” to the younger kids so “they would also be able to understand themselves better.”

“As early as Grade 3 or 4, you have to teach them because sexuality is part of us as human beings,” he said. Marasigan noted that the “lack of information” among kids is the reason why they are getting at risk for infections and sexual abuses.