– By Bothaina Al-Thani –

Qatar’s Ministry of Education and Higher Education imposes tight restrictions on classes dealing with sex and reproduction in both government-run independent schools and private schools. This leaves a question mark for many parents, students and teachers over what sex education really is in Qatar.

Many parents who send their children to public schools expect that sex education will involve the study of reproduction only in a biology class—a brief topic necessary for passing exams. Meanwhile, some teachers and parents at private schools think the topic of sex education should include teaching students about safe sex and the use of contraceptives.

Independent school textbooks only have a few pages devoted to the topic of biological reproduction and teachers say they tend not to go into too much detail. For example, a grade 10 (for students ages 15-16 years old) biology textbook for independent schools contains only one chapter with three sections dedicated to the subject. The sections titled “Sexual Reproduction,” “Variation” and “Sexual reproduction and Meiosis” discuss basic biological concepts such as chromosomes, somatic cells, sex cells and fertilization at the cell level.

At some private schools, however, the curriculum goes into more detail on topics such as sex hormones, the female menstrual cycle (which in independent schools is taught usually only to girls), fetal development and sexual reproduction, along with showing diagrams of human anatomy. How much detail is taught depends on the school itself.

“The public systems are very heavily controlled by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education. But for private schools, it is more difficult for us to control. However, because children are involved, there are laws that Qatar has that they need to adhere too,” said Taryn Jerling, a consultant at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education.

According to Jerling, the ministry has created and approved certain textbooks for independent schools. While private schools don’t have to use these same books, they still are only allowed to teach topics in books that are pre-approved by the ministry.

Sana Abdelkader, a 45-year-old Palestinian mother of five, says it is not necessary for her children to receive detailed sex education.

“I never learned any of this, not even the basics of reproduction, when I was in school or university and I turned out fine. It is not necessary to learn some things in school. We learn with age,” she said. However, she said she is okay with her children learning the basics of reproduction in a science class if necessary.

The experience of many students in Qatar is highlighted by Dallal Faisal, a 15-year-old independent school student at Al-Bayan’s secondary school for girls. She says the sex education she received was more comprehensive than what Abdelkader learned, but it was still focused primarily on reproduction at the cellular level.

“All I learned about sex was a lesson in a biology class about how the egg is fertilized by the sperm. It was a really simple class,” said Faisal.

Jerling said that the ministry faces a dilemma when integrating a Western system of education while also striving to uphold Qatar’s traditional, conservative culture. Avoiding a more open curriculum of sex education in schools is seen as one way to maintain Qatari values and this approach is popular with many Qatari parents. However, some international and private schools are opposed to this.

“A lot of international schools request that [more detailed sex education] be taught, even if it means excluding Qatari students,” she said.

However, the ministry usually rejects these requests.

“The reasoning we give to schools is for cultural sensitivity and local requirements of the culture of Qatar,” she added.

Reem Abu Ghazala, an art history instructor at Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar, suggested that this can lead to problems later. She said that students in one of her art history classes did not behave appropriately when they saw a statue of a nude male figure.

“The girls were giggling and squirming in their seats. I feel like students should learn about [sex education] early on…They need to be slightly desensitized and not ashamed of it.” However, she qualified that “biology is not to constantly be sexualized. It could be learned in a more sterile way.”

Jennifer Mitchell, a biology teacher at the private Qatar International School, said her she and her fellow faculty do not skip chapters on the topic of reproduction because it is part of the curriculum at the school. However, related issues are not discussed as openly as they would be in Western countries, such as in her native United Kingdom.

“I always ensure during my first lesson that students are made aware that if there is something I am teaching that is affecting them, then I would like them to let me know, either through the use of post-it notes or to wait behind after lesson and talk to me,” Mitchell said.

Some expatriate parents would prefer a more comprehensive approach to sex education and open discussion of related moral and social issues. Though they accept that local reticence on these issues is part of living in Qatar, if they had a choice, some say they would prefer their children to receive instruction that is more similar to that in their home countries.

“I would not want my daughter to be learning about sex education at a young age, though by the age of 14, I feel that children are mature enough to discuss these issues. I would also like her to be able to discuss moral dilemmas, such as the right to abortion, but I understand that they are much more controversial subjects here in Qatar,” said John Schofield when discussing his 11-year-old daughter’s private school education.

Souji Sukumaran, 35, an Indian parent of a 15-year-old son, supports the possibility of older children receiving more comprehensive sex education in a private school, but with limits.

“I personally do not want my son learning this in school, but I would not mind if it was offered. Right now, he is too young, but when he turns 16 years old I would allow him to take the class,” Sukumaran said.

If such a class is taught, however, she said she would want the content to respect the values of her Hindu religion, which promotes modesty. “Anything that needs to be taught in detail about sex education our children will learn over time or when they are married,” Sukumaran said.

Many Qatari parents say some Western-influenced education goes against local norms and values, and there is a strong support for limiting certain topics.

Abdelkader said both Qatari culture and her Islamic faith have influenced her beliefs that children should not learn about sex and reproduction in a classroom setting, adding that sex education should be responsibility of the family rather than the government or schools.

“Children should be able to hold on to their innocence as long as possible…When the time comes to marry and they have questions, they can go to their parents and ask,” she said.

This sentiment is supported by 21-year-old Qatari Al-Anoud Mohamed, a former student at Qatar International School and currently a junior at Georgetown University in Qatar. Mohamed said she had a conservative upbringing, so she did not feel comfortable learning about sex education in school.

“I get uncomfortably shy when I hear about anything along the lines of sex. Even when it was in class and it felt so clinical,” she explained.

Mohamed said that growing up in a modest household made her feel this way. Similar to Abdelkader, Mohamed’s mother did not want her daughter to learn about basic biological reproduction, let alone be exposed to sex education.

“I was going to talk to the school about teaching reproduction to my children. My daughter explained to me that it was an international exam and she has to learn about this. It was a sacrifice I had to make after putting my children in a British school,” said Mohamed’s mother.

But despite government restrictions and parental concerns, Hamad Saoud, a 15-year-old Qatari high school student at an independent school, said that sex education that goes beyond basic biology is being taught even in independent schools, albeit in indirect ways. He said that he is currently learning about related topics in various classes, even in geography and Islamic studies classes.

“It wasn’t anything in the textbook. The topic took a turn where our teachers started to talk about being ‘protected’ whenever people have relationships,” he said.

Abdulla Al-Khater, a 19-year-old student at the College of the North Atlantic Qatar, studied both in independent and private high schools in Doha. He also opposes the comprehensive teaching of sex education and sexual health in schools. Neither of Al-Khater’s schools had a designated sex education class, but he said a doctor did come to both of his schools to answer students’ questions.

“If my school had an option of taking a sex education class, I would not take it,” Al-Khater said. “I would rather take a class where I can just learn the subject on my own by researching it myself.”

The teaching of sex education is rejected by many in Qatar, as many Qataris and expatriates alike believe that it is not the responsibility of the education system to discuss such issues. There is a strong desire to preserve Qatari culture and Muslim religious customs, which also influences decision making within the Ministry of Education and Higher Education.

For Al-Khater, that’s exactly the way the system should work. “What we teach in schools to students affects our morals,” he said. “We need to keep students modest. If they want to learn anything extra, they can go to their parents or older siblings.”