Madam, thank you very much for your comments.
I completely agree with you in terms of the innovations and strategies. I would say that perhaps the order in which these have to be included within the curricula and programs in the countries has to be culturally contextualized and be pragmatic. Where the issue is just getting girls into school and ensuring that the drop-out rates are reduced and that, if girls are going to school, there are career and development opportunities and something tangible that families can see, I think that has to come first.
When I talk about girls going to school, Madam, one of the big issues is the infrastructure of the schools. I work in South Asia and east Africa where if you do not have adequate structures, if you do not have adequate toilets and running water in those schools, then to expect girls to stay in those schools the moment they reach puberty is impossible. One of the biggest reasons for dropouts in many of the environments is that these structures are just not girl-friendly and are therefore a barrier in terms of families sending young girls to these schools. I think getting girls into school and having a formal education system are extremely important. Once that is in place, and once the community and families are comfortable that the education the children are getting is meaningful, tangible, and has some social value, then I think including things like reproductive health and sexual education within those curricula is absolutely fine. Where we run into trouble is when we put the cart before the horse. Even before education has permeated and families have confidence in the whole system, if we start with things like HIV education and education on some of the issues that have hitherto been taboo subjects, they become an additional barrier to attracting people to schools.
I think there is a process. In that process, I absolutely support the notion of having health, reproductive health, and sexual education within those schools and within the confines of cultural acceptability.