Cyprus: The Biology book of the 3rd High School set fires

Chapter of the book has caused an uproar on social media Biology of the 3rd High School in Cypruswhich addresses sexually transmitted diseases and premarital sex, with users talking about book taken from the Middle Ages, which in no way corresponds to the data and conditions of 2023.

According to the newspaper report Liberal, it is worth noting that this particular manual was prepared several years ago, with many considering it to be outdated in conjunction with the passing of legislation on holistic sex education in schools. Despite the fact that years have passed since it was prepared and taught, it is still in schools as a textbook given to students, but as we have been told by a img in the Ministry of Education, with different instructions to the teachers teaching the subject.

The points that caused the reactions

In the third grade Biology activity book, students are informed/educated (p. 68) about contraception and the methods that can “protect us from STDs”.

Among these methods recorded in the school textbook, “Temperance”, “Chastity” and “Abstinence from sexual activity before marriage” are presented first.

As seen in the pages of the book, in the subject section in question, it is stated that the above have a 100% success rate in their effectiveness as contraceptive methods and are considered the only absolutely reliable methods. It is also pointed out that within marriage only a mutually faithful monogamous relationship offers protection from sexually transmitted diseases.

But online reactions seem to arise, not only from the text and writing that has been chosen for the specific points of the book, but also for some of the photos and diagrams that accompany them.

As for example, the photograph which accompanies the disputed text on temperance, abstinence and chastity and which depicts only one woman.

A little further down the book also tackles HIV/AIDS and its transmission, using a chart based on KEELPNO statistics from as far back as 2014 (gay/bisexual men are also listed), and then asking students to place “in order the various practices (a-z) starting with the one that presents the greatest risk”, recognizing gay sex as the most dangerous.

Clarifications from the Ministry of Education on the Biology book in question

In clarifications regarding the 3rd High School Biology book, for which there were reactions, the Ministry of Education proceedednoting that the specific book was published in 2017 (1st edition) and has since been used by the teaching biologists to teach the course.

According to the World Health Organization, as the Ministry notes, abstinence is the most effective way of contraception and protection from sexually transmitted diseases, and that is why the reference was made in the book. Biology teachers are well-trained in their science, present up-to-date and documented scientific data and use scientific terminology during teaching, without invoking the moral dimension that may arise from the specific phraseology of the school textbook.

The Biology Review is in the process of upgrading the Biology textbooks of all Middle-High School classes, so that any necessary changes can be made.