19 NOVEMBER 2021
The Department of Basic Education and its partners will launch a groundbreaking television series called Breaking the Silence (BTS), on Sunday 28 November 2021. This is a television programme that is set to tackle a whole range of social challenges that affect the education of young people of school going age.
The Department, together with Red Pepper, UNESCO, the SABC and MTV Shuga will unveil the series on Sunday 28 November 2021 at the SABC M1 Studios.
Deputy President David Mabuza is expected to deliver the keynote at the launch.
Breaking the Silence is a 13-part series which has been developed to strengthen the provision of comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) in Life Orientation by educators in the schooling system. Social challenges such as HIV infection, gender-based violence, early unintended pregnancy, drugs and substance abuse are some of the matters to be dealt with in the television programme. Research has cited these as some of the factors that result in learners dropping out of school. The topics are already covered in the curriculum through Life Skills and Life Orientation subjects.
BTS forms an important component in the broader range of activities undertaken by the DBE and its partners to continue to address the growing range of social challenges that have plagued the Basic Education sector and communities across the country. BTS is set to step up public communication around some of the uncomfortable topics relating to Sexuality Education, these include but are not limited to:
- Integration of pregnancy prevention, gender and sexual violence prevention, alcohol and drug use prevention into CSE etc.
- Sexual Diversity, Gender Identity, Transactional Sex, Prevention of Teenage Pregnancy and support mechanisms in the schooling system;
- Rites of Passage, Sexuality and Stress, Sex & Diseases, Sexuality and Digital Media
The Department of Basic Education wishes to thank the SABC for its commitment to an informed citizenry and for taking the bold step to broadcast BTS on SABC 1.
“This will assist greatly in advancing the work of the department by utilizing the powerful medium of television broadcasting & social media to showcase complex components to protect our children against sexual exploitation and risky behaviour through the delivery of comprehensive sexuality education in the curriculum”, added Chief Director for Care and Support in School, Coceka Nogoduka.
In her address at a media briefing on Sunday 29 August, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga said the Department would mobilise stakeholders to work together to address the alarming rate of early and unwanted pregnancies among young people of school going age in particular.
Breaking the Silence is one of a myriad of responses from the DBE and its partners to address the various challenges around Comprehensive Sexuality Education, including GBV while also creating a platform to support educators to address pregnancy prevention, gender and gender diversity, alcohol and drug use prevention through their delivery of CSE in the classroom.
ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF BASIC EDUCATION
(Catch more updates and new content on DBE TV – Channel 122 on Open view HD and on the DBE Channel on YouTube)
