Teenagers are giving sex education lessons to younger children in a controversial new scheme to reduce the high rate of unwanted pregnancies in Scotland.
Pupils as young as 14 have been trained to teach younger schoolmates about puberty, contraception and where to get advice on gay issues in the first move of its kind in Scotland.
The 11-year-olds receiving the lessons are encouraged to ask about sex and relationships in question-and-answer sessions.
The GBP 45,000-a-year scheme has been launched at two secondary schools in Dundee, where teenage pregnancy rates are the highest in Europe, in the hope that peer-led education can reinforce the safe sex message.
Schools across Scotland are also understood to be considering introducing the initiative in their sex-education classes, as current programmes have had little impact on teen pregnancies.
But critics attacked the initiative, saying that it placed too much of a burden upon the young people involved. Some politicians urged caution before attempts were made to extend the scheme nationwide.
The Health Buddies project has been introduced at Menzieshill High and Morgan Academy. Pete Glen, the project's manager, said: "This has worked really positively and has huge potential. This is a challenging age group as there is a lot going on, but I have been impressed with how they have been up for the challenge.
"Young people have said it's more relevant and appropriate, and less embarrassing than having teachers deliver it..
Peer-led education has previously been used to teach schoolchildren about other sensitive subjects such as drugs and alcohol.
But the move has been extended to sex education to tackle Dundee's teenage pregnancy rate, which is 77.7 per 100,000 girls age 15-17 compared to a Scottish average of 41.8. UK-wide, about 40,000 girls undergo unwanted pregnancies every year.
Source: Kate Foster, Scotland on Sunday, 11 April 2010 or http://www.ippf.org/
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