Nikoli: Allow pupils cellphones, sex education

Schoolchildren must be empowered by access to the technology of smartphones and by responsible sex education, urged youth advocate Nikoli Edwards, in his feature address to the Family Planning Association’s (FPA’s) Report to the Nation, on Tuesday, at the Central Bank Auditorium, Port of Spain.

Departing from his prepared script, he said, “Banning cellphones will not solve the underlying problem. Don’t be afraid of technology. Teach them how to use technology.”

Sex education must be taught in schools, urged Edwards, vice-chair of the Commonwealth Youth Council.

“Comprehensive sexuality education does not mean teaching young people to go out and have sex.

“Young people are getting their information from somewhere. Parents have not been fulfilling their responsibility regarding sex education, and so the State must intervene.” He said when a societal problem exists that society is not correcting, then state intervention is required.

Edwards urged better access to counselling and reproductive health care for youngsters, plus HIV testing.

“Why haven’t we placed emphasis on outfitting schools with school psychologists and social workers that are actually up for the challenge?

“When we look at HIV/AIDS in TT, testing is not easily accessible. You can only access limited STI testing for free at certain health facilities between certain hours on certain days.

A person who makes up his or her mind to have testing done makes a decision that is not easy, and it must be difficult to face rejection because they reached too late, or the number of testing kits made available each day ran out.”

Edwards supported the use of medicines known as pre-exposure prophylaxis to stop the spread of the virus and said women should be able to decide how many children to have.

“Every girl must have access to sexual and reproductive health care even without parental consent, especially if a health practitioner has found her to be competent enough using the Gillick Competence assessment, and free from abuse or assault.”

Edwards denied that young people advocate from a platform of entitlement, but said they speak from a platform of reasonable expectations, given the great resources of the world.

He accused the Government of not understanding youth development and not wanting to understand, bemoaning that his two letters to Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley asking to discuss youth issues had not had a response.