A viral post on X, formerly Twitter, sparked discussions among netizens about a Junior Secondary School Three science textbook, which details the process, types, and reasons for abortion, as well as family planning, writes GRACE EDEMA
Page 135 of the Classic Basic Science and Technology for Junior Secondary School Three used by some schools in Nigeria, partly reads, “There are two types of surgical abortion. Dilation and curettage (D & C): The cervix is dilated (opened and expanded) and a special instrument is used to scrape or scoop some linings and other materials in the uterus. D&C, also called vacuum aspiration, is used when the pregnancy is under 15 weeks.
“Dilation Evacuation (D & E): This involves dilating the cervix and using narrow forceps to evacuate the embryo that has formed bones. It is more difficult and requires more techniques than a simple D & C. It is used for 15-24 weeks old pregnancy.”
An X (formerly Twitter) user Alex Onyia, who posted the book’s cover and page on abortion, raised the alarm over the content, which he described as harmful information for learners.
Onyia wrote, “This book is teaching Jss1 students in Nigerian schools how to do abortion with clear images. Parent wake up and save your children. NERDC approved this!
“Corruption is not just about stealing money, it destroys our coming generation!”
The book, published by Thursmay Publishers, is authored by M. Abdussalam, F.A Ibekwe, D.E Akintelure and B.B Akintelure and has the approval stamp of the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council on the cover page.
In Nigeria, the approval of school textbooks is primarily overseen by NERDC. The NERDC is responsible for developing and reviewing curricula and ensuring that educational materials, including textbooks, align with the national curriculum and meet the required standards.
Also, NERDC has the statutory responsibility to: develop, review, and enrich curricula at all levels; undertake and promote book development and local authorship for quality assurance; and conduct educational research to inform public policy formulation and implementation.
The book further explains the reasons for abortion, the consequences of unsafe abortion, and others.
But the All Nigeria Conference of Principals of Public Schools and the Parents Teachers Association strongly condemned the book for containing a chapter that covered the different types of abortion and how to use family planning in preventing it.
Both groups said such detrimental content was not in the Nigerian curriculum.
The National President of ANCOPPS, Musa Ibrahim, told our correspondent about the efforts they had put in place to investigate the book.
Ibrahim said, “We have set machinery in motion to ensure that any such books brought into schools will be seized immediately. We have liaised with the Ministry of Education to obtain copies for analysis, and we intend to use this as a point of advocacy with the ministry. We find the contents highly offensive, and school principals have already been instructed to take action.
He added, “The information in the book is not part of our curriculum. We teach topics like reproduction and a bit of sexuality in JS three and SS one, but the aim is to ensure that students understand they should not endorse such behaviour. These topics are not meant for JSS 1 students, as they are not included in the curriculum.
They labeled it as ‘sex education’ or ‘sexuality education,’ but we made it clear that we do not want it, and they should remove it. In the SS classes, reproduction is taught solely for examination purposes, as the students are semi-adults. ANCOPPS does not support this material, and we are taking steps to ensure it is confiscated.”
He advised parents to be cautious when purchasing textbooks not recommended by schools and assured stakeholders that principals in government schools were diligent in scrutinising these materials.