Sri Lanka’s Education Reforms: Why Sri Lanka should reject ITGSE’s SOGI (Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity) content
- What is ITGSE?
ITGSE = International Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education, developed by:
- UNESCO(lead agency)
- UNFPA, UNICEF, WHO, UNAIDS
UNESCO, UNFPA and UNICEF classify ITGSE as the international benchmark for Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE), and countries are evaluated against it during SDG 4.7 reporting
It is a UN framework used to influence national curriculum reforms.
Although officially “non-binding,” ITGSE is used as a “soft law” instrument to pressure developing countries into implementing its themes through:
- donor funding
- teacher training modules
- “capacity building” workshops
- embedding content in life-skills, health and gender education
UNESCO explicitly states that countries “should align national curricula with ITGSE’s eight key concepts.”
(UNESCO, ITGSE 2018, p. 18)
In 2018, UNESCO stated that ITGSE “provides a technical framework for national authorities to design and implement comprehensive sexuality education,” making it the default template donors expect countries to adopt.
Thus, once adopted, countries are expected to implement the full framework including SOGI content, even if not openly stated in the school textbooks.
Although ITGSE is technically voluntary, UNESCO, UNFPA and UNICEF use it as a benchmark to judge whether a country’s curriculum is “compliant with international standards.”
This creates indirect coercion through:
- donor conditions for funding
- UN agency reviews
- SDG 4.7 reporting
- UNFPA “gender-transformative” school audits
In practice, this means: if Sri Lanka adopts even one ITGSE module, UN agencies will pressure the Ministry to adopt the entire SOGI framework under the justification of “completeness.”
No UN treaty obligates Sri Lanka to adopt ITGSE.
But, donor-funded agencies often imply it is mandatory.
In reality, ITGSE is a voluntary guideline with no legal force, making any internal pressure on Sri Lanka purely political—not legal.
If Politicians insist on enforcing it – we must question why?
- Where ITGSE Introduces SOGI content and why it conflicts with Sri Lanka
Age Band Breakdown
Age Band 5–8years
- 2.2— “Respect for different sexual orientations and gender identities.”
- Introduces gender identity as a feeling, not biology.
Age Band 9–12years
- 2.2+ 6.2–6.3 —
Introduces:
• sexual orientation
• gender identity
• gender expression
as “natural variations”.
Age Band 12–15
- 2.4+ 7.3.2 —
Introduces:
• sexual behaviour
• personal rights related to identity
• consent and decision-making
Age Band 15–18
- 4.1+ 7.5.3 —
Students encouraged to “advocate for inclusion of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities.”
Embedded Across Themes
| Theme | SOGI Component |
| Theme 1 — Relationships | “Same-sex families” (1.3.2) |
| Theme 2 — Values & Rights | “Non-discrimination on sexual orientation” |
| Theme 5 — Sexual Behaviour | Sexual identity linked to pleasure |
| Theme 6 — Culture & Society | Challenge “traditional gender norms”
links sexual orientation to “understanding sexual pleasure” (ITGSE 2018, p. 71), which is fundamentally inappropriate for minors in the Sri Lankan cultural and religious context. |
This is not occasional exposure.
It is a full ideological framework woven across the entire curriculum.
ITGSE is not a neutral health document.
It is a comprehensive ideological framework built around eight “Key Concepts,” in which sexual orientation, gender identity, pleasure-based sexuality, and activism are embedded from ages 5 to 18. These are not optional or isolated themes but integrated learning outcomes expected at every age band.
- Why these ITGSE sections conflict with Sri Lanka
- CULTURAL CONFLICTS
Unlike Western societies where identity politics emerged from individualism, Sri Lanka’s cultural foundation rests on collective identity (family, religion, community). ITGSE introduces hyper-individualised identity categories that directly contradict collectivist cultural norms.
Sri Lankan cultural heritage has no equivalent for terms such as ‘gender fluid’, ‘gender expression’, ‘sexual orientation’
Problem ITGSE Sections
- 2.2– Respect for different sexual orientations and gender identities
- 2–6.3– Gender identity as fluid
- 3.2– Normalisation of same-sex families
- Theme 5– Sexual identity/orientation linked with pleasure
- Theme 6– Challenging traditional gender norms
Why It Conflicts with Sri Lankan Culture
Sri Lanka’s society is:
- modesty-oriented
- protective of childhood innocence
- family-centered
- religiously grounded
- conservative in sexual topics
Cultural foundations:
- clear male–female identity
- parents, not schools, handle moral teaching
- avoidance of exposing children to sexual identity frameworks
Outcome in Sri Lanka
- Mass resistance from parents
- Schools unable to teach modules
- Administrative chaos
- Erosion of trust in the education system
- RELIGIOUS CONFLICTS
Every major religion in Sri Lanka rejects teaching SOGI-normalisation to children.
Buddhism
- Emphasises restraint, moral discipline, and detachment from identity fixation.
- Does not recognise gender fluidity teachings.
- SOGI is a block to Buddhist path to Nirvana
Buddhism views sexual misconduct (kāmesu micchācāra) as a major moral transgression, and teaching children to explore identity through sexual categories contradicts the principle of restraint central to the Five Precepts.
Legal protection of religion
- Constitution Articles 9, 10 & 14(1)(e)protect freedom of religion and conscience.
Hinduism
- Family dharma emphasises stable gender roles, heterosexual family structures.
Islam
- Prohibits homosexual acts.
- Gender identity is divinely assigned, not self-defined.
Christianity
- Catechism rejects homosexual behavior as “contrary to natural law”
- Gender identity seen as given, not chosen.
ITGSE Sections in Conflict
- 3– “Gender identity is how a person feels, not biology.”
- 2.2– Respect for diverse sexual orientations/gender identities.
Outcome
- Clergy opposition
- Religious protests
- Loss of trust in schools
- Families withdrawing children from schools
- LEGAL CONFLICTS (Penal Code)
| Law | Conflict with ITGSE |
| 365 / 365A | Criminalises homosexual acts — but ITGSE normalises them socially. |
| 286 | Prohibits exposing children to sexual material — ITGSE introduces identity-linked sexual topics early. |
| 308A | Protects minors from harmful emotional influence — identity confusion is a risk. |
If ITGSE is implemented, teachers will be legally compelled to teach children that behaviours criminalised under Sri Lankan law are “valid,” “normal,” and “worthy of advocacy
Article 12 – Equality and Non-Discrimination
The State cannot promote one protected class (LGBTQIA identities) while prohibiting criticism or questioning from religious communities—this violates equal protection.
Teaching LGBTQIA+ advocacy in schools while the law criminalises related acts places the Ministry in a contradictory position—encouraging children to support behaviours that are illegal.
Key Contradiction
A country cannot simultaneously criminalise an act in the Penal Code while instructing minors that the same act is morally acceptable, normal and worthy of advocacy.
This creates a direct legal contradiction and undermines the rule of law.
Outcome
- Possible lawsuits against MoE
- ICCPR complaints
- Human rights petitions
- Parental legal action
- CONSTITUTIONAL CONFLICTS
Article 9 – Buddhism
State must foster Buddhism — which emphasises:
- modesty
- restraint
- stable roles
- discouragement of sexual preoccupation
- impedes path to Nirvana
as ITGSE promotes:
- gender fluidity
- adolescent sexual rights
- identity-based activism
Articles 10 and 14(1)(e)
Parents have the right to raise children according to religious values.
ITGSE breaks this right by imposing foreign ideological content in schools.
Outcome
- Fundamental Rights petitions
- National-level political conflict
- ICCPR Act (Sri Lanka)
ICCPR Act No. 56 of 2007, Section 3(1) — prohibits advocacy of ideas that insult religious feelings or threaten public morality.
ICCPR Act prohibits propagation of content harmful to:
- public morality
- religious harmony
ITGSE includes:
- sexual orientation & identity topics for minors
- challenging traditional values
- pleasure-linked sexual identity concepts taught & advocated to kids
Outcome
- ICCPR-based complaints
- Demands to reverse all related teaching materials
- CRC (Convention on the Rights of the Child) – Article 14, Article 29
CRC Article 29(1)(c) requires “education must respect “the child’s parents, cultural identity, language and values.”
ITGSE violates this by imposing foreign identity categories such as “gender fluidity,” “sexual orientation as self-defined,” and “identity activism.”
This is a direct breach of CRC obligations.
CRC recognises:
- parental rights in moral/religious education
- cultural protection of children
- religious upbringing of children
ITGSE violates CRC principles by:
- replacing parental values with UN-defined values
- exposing children to adult identity frameworks
- disrupting cultural continuity & religious upbringing
Outcome
- Strong CRC-based legal objections
- Accusation of violating parental rights
Sri Lanka–Specific Child Outcomes
WHY we oppose teaching ITGSE’s SOGI in ITGSE to Sri Lanka’s Children
Child psychology research confirms that children aged 5–12 do not have the neurological maturity to process abstract concepts like “gender identity,” “sexual orientation,” or “identity fluidity.”
Neuroscientific research shows that the prefrontal cortex — responsible for identity stability, emotional regulation, and abstract thinking — does not mature until age 25.
Presenting children with abstract sexual identity frameworks during early developmental stages produces:
-
dysregulated emotions
• identity instability
• susceptibility to peer and social-media influence
• confusion between biological reality and ideology
Introducing these prematurely leads to confusion and distorted self-perception.
- Identity Confusion
Children aged 5–12 are psychologically vulnerable.
Teaching them that gender is fluid creates:
- confusion
- insecurity
- difficulty forming stable identity
- Emotional Conflict Between Parents, Religion & School
Children will feel torn between:
- what the school teaches
- what parents teach
- what religion teaches
This produces:
- anxiety
- shame
- secret-keeping – which ITGSE encourages with teachers taught to teach kids to keep secret from parents.
- The close bond between parents & children gets broken-distanced.
- Breakdown of Parent–Child Trust
ITGSE teacher-training manuals (not public textbooks) typically instruct teachers to create “safe spaces” for confidential discussions—excluding parents.
This secrecy is incompatible with Sri Lankan cultural norms where parental guidance is paramount.
SOGI modules encourage:
- confidential discussions with teachers
- hiding “identity concerns” from parents
This breaks the family unit.
- Increase in Bullying – having “created” kids presuming they are “gender fluid” – ground has been artificially created to
- self-isolate kids
- Promote otion that there is an increase in “identity” conflicting kids
- Divert kids for medical counselling (a ready-team advocating for medical intervention)
- Prescribing hormone treatment & gender-reaffirming treatment to perfectly normal kids who have undergone ITGSE SOGI brainwashing
In multiple Western countries, early SOGI exposure has been linked to a sharp increase in minors being referred to identity counselling pathways. This pattern is now being critically reviewed by health authorities due to concerns of ideology-driven medical referrals, not clinical necessity
- Exposure to adult concepts too early
5-year-olds cannot process:
- sexual identity
- gender ideology
- political activism around sexuality
- be made to accept same sex parents
This is developmentally inappropriate.
- Disruption of Religious Identity
Children experience:
- guilt
- fear
- cognitive conflict
when school contradicts religious teachings.
- Cultural Alienation
Sri Lankan children are taught to:
- disconnect from heritage
- pressured to adopt Western identity labels
- feel ashamed of local values, customs & rituals
- Family Conflict
Two opposing worldviews:
- school’s gender ideology
- home’s religious/moral teachings
= psychological stress.
- Academic Decline
Children distracted by:
- identity politics
- emotional disturbance
- peer pressure
- Western outcomes already observed
These outcomes are now the subject of national inquiries in several Western countries, with governments re-evaluating early exposure to SOGI ideology due to long-term harm documented among minors
Several European nations — including the UK, Sweden, Finland and Norway — have now restricted early gender-identity related instruction in schools due to evidence that such content contributes to psychological distress among minors.
Sri Lanka should learn from nations that are reversing earlier decisions after witnessing harm to children.
Western nations that introduced early SOGI education report:
- increased identity confusion among minors
- increase in children expressing distress about gender
- rise in school conflicts over identity politics
In multiple Western countries, early SOGI-based education has coincided with measurable increases in:
-
identity questioning among minors
• psychological distress
• social anxiety
• family conflict
• rapid rise in referrals to gender clinics
Sri Lanka must not adopt the ITGSE SOGI framework for a simple reason: it does not align with our culture, our laws, our religions, or our educational priorities.
ITGSE is not a medical guideline.
It is not a child-protection framework.
It is a political and ideological document designed to reshape childhood identity according to Western social theories that many Western nations themselves are now reassessing.
Sri Lanka’s responsibility is not to please donors or follow global trends.
Sri Lanka’s responsibility is to protect its children.
Our children deserve:
• security
• innocence
• emotional stability
• cultural grounding
• parental guidance
• religious continuity
—not early exposure to adult identity politics.
Sri Lanka should strengthen its curriculum on family values, mental wellbeing, discipline, cultural literacy, and academic excellence, not introduce imported ideologies that have already created crises elsewhere.
We reject SOGI content because it harms children.
We reject ITGSE pressure because it undermines national sovereignty.
We defend parental rights because they are protected under the Constitution and CRC.
Sri Lanka must reject ITGSE SOGI content because:
- It conflicts with our culture
- Contradicts all religions
- Violates the Constitution
- Conflicts with the Penal Code
- Breaches ICCPR and CRC obligations
- Harms child mental health
- Breaks parental rights
- Violates Buddhist protection mandate (Art. 9)
- Weakens family structure
- Threatens national identity
- Represents a foreign ideological experiment
Sri Lanka’s duty is to protect children, not expose them to imported ideologies that Western nations themselves are now retracting.
What our children need is:
- moral grounding
- discipline
- cultural literacy
- religious values
- academic excellence
- emotional stability
—not exposure to identity politics.
Sri Lanka must protect its children, its culture, its families, and its sovereignty.
Sri Lanka’s children are the nation’s future —
and they must never be used as subjects in a global social experiment.
The subject of SOGI is an unnecessary inclusion into a school syllabus.
Shenali D Waduge
