Sex education: a qualitative study of the experiences of window of hope tutors in Ghanaian colleges of education

In Ghana, sex and sexuality matters are not subjects for discussion among young people or even between young people and adults (Mack 2011; Nyarko et al., 2014; Van der Geest, 2001). However, initiation rites which have become almost extinct existed to prepare initiates for their roles in marriage (Awusabo-Asare et al., 2004). Faced with the devastating effects of HIV/AIDS first reported in the late 1980s, Ghana introduced many education programs including the Window of Hope (WoH) module for teacher trainees. Teacher educators were offered training which did not include exploring their attitudes, beliefs and values about sexuality which, claim Tijuana et al., (2004), will affect their teaching. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of WoH tutors and propose a model for CPD which incorporates these experiences and their implications for the delivery of the module. Using a qualitative design, 18 tutors were purposively selected and interviewed. It was found that dominant norms such as abstinence before marriage, sex as harmful to young persons, sex as a heterosexual affair and gender as a dualism, influenced the practice of participants. A CPD model and intra-college and inter-college training were proposed among others to address the findings