TY - JOUR
T1 - Variable Implementation of Sexuality Education in Three Nigerian States
AU - Kunnuji, Michael O.N.
AU - Robinson, Rachel Sullivan
AU - Shawar, Yusra Ribhi
AU - Shiffman, Jeremy
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors thank the MacArthur Foundation for providing support (Grant number 102417) for this research. We thank our interviewees from NGOs, donor agencies, and active and retired officials of government ministries, departments, and agencies in Abuja, Kano, Lagos, Niger, and Oyo states. We also thank Julia Fischer-Mackey for reviewing prior drafts of the article.
Funding Information:
Having faced strong opposition in their attempt to implement the FLHE, in 2008 the domestic champions in Kano broadened the intervention to include modern informal Quranic schools that are more accepting of secular education (Bano 2009). As of 2009, approximately 4,000 such Islamiyya schools were registered in Kano (Bano 2009), and about two thirds of children in the state attend some form of Islamic school (Kano State Ministry of Education 2006). AHIP proposed the idea of an Islamiyya-specific sexuality education curriculum in collaboration with an expert in Shari’a law and Islamic studies who had been involved in advocating for human rights under Shari’a law. With funding from the MacArthur Foundation, these collaborators explored the Islamic literature and provided justification for the teaching of FLHE topics (Interview #s 45, 47, 49). Thus, despite the challenges faced, sexuality education was implemented owing largely to the innovativeness and persistence of domestic champions in collaboration with the state bureaucracy.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 The Population Council, Inc.
PY - 2017/12
Y1 - 2017/12
N2 - In 2003, Nigeria adopted the Family Life and HIV Education (FLHE) sexuality education curriculum. Our analysis interrogates variation in sub-national implementation. We conducted 52 interviews with persons knowledgeable about the curriculum in three states—Kano, Lagos, and Niger—and reviewed publications on FLHE. In Kano, the socio-cultural context impeded implementation, but the persistence of innovative local champions resulted in some success. In Lagos, the cosmopolitan context, effective champions, funding by international donors, and a receptive government bureaucracy led to successful implementation. In Niger, despite a relatively conservative socio-cultural context, state bureaucratic bottlenecks overwhelmed proponents’ efforts. In summary, the interaction of socio-cultural context, domestic champions, adaptive capacity of state bureaucracies, and international funders explains variable implementation of FLHE. The Nigerian experience highlights the need for sexuality education proponents to anticipate and prepare for local opposition and bureaucratic barriers.
AB - In 2003, Nigeria adopted the Family Life and HIV Education (FLHE) sexuality education curriculum. Our analysis interrogates variation in sub-national implementation. We conducted 52 interviews with persons knowledgeable about the curriculum in three states—Kano, Lagos, and Niger—and reviewed publications on FLHE. In Kano, the socio-cultural context impeded implementation, but the persistence of innovative local champions resulted in some success. In Lagos, the cosmopolitan context, effective champions, funding by international donors, and a receptive government bureaucracy led to successful implementation. In Niger, despite a relatively conservative socio-cultural context, state bureaucratic bottlenecks overwhelmed proponents’ efforts. In summary, the interaction of socio-cultural context, domestic champions, adaptive capacity of state bureaucracies, and international funders explains variable implementation of FLHE. The Nigerian experience highlights the need for sexuality education proponents to anticipate and prepare for local opposition and bureaucratic barriers.
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U2 - 10.1111/sifp.12043
DO - 10.1111/sifp.12043
M3 - Article
C2 - 29210470
AN - SCOPUS:85037601835
SN - 0039-3665
VL - 48
SP - 359
EP - 376
JO - Studies in family planning
JF - Studies in family planning
IS - 4
ER -