A comprehensive gender and health education for youth in BARMM

On February 24, almost two weeks ago, the Commission on Population (Popcom), particularly its Region 12 (Soccsksargen) and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Interim Office, virtually launched the Comprehensive Gender and Health Education for Youth (Cghey) instructional modules that are intended for Moro teachers of grade school and high school students in BARMM.

I learned that it took three long and arduous years for the 12 authors (three Popcom staff and four female and five male Muslim religious leaders) to write the 152-page Cghey that has five main modules on critical adolescent development particularly 1) anatomy and physiology with topics on human anatomy, stages of life, puberty, fertility awareness and early pregnancy; 2) gender and development, which covers GAD (gender and development) concepts, gender equality and equity, marriage and emerging gender issues; 3) health and nutrition, which include healthy lifestyle, sexually transmitted infections and and human immunodeficiency syndrome and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome; 4) social relationships with topics on universal human rights, importance of seeking knowledge and environmental influence; and 5) spiritual responsibilities, which discusses Islamic concept of creation and purification.