Reproductive health education has been integrated in the basic education curriculum under the K-12 program, the Department of Education (DepEd) said yesterday.

Students as young as seven years old – or those in Grade 1 – will now have “age-appropriate, developmental and culture-sensitive” sexuality education to ensure that they are protected from sexual exploitation.

The government sets a benchmark today with the start of full implementation of the senior high school program, centerpiece of the contentious K to 12 education reform program of the Aquino administration.

Around 25 million students are expected to return to private and public elementary and high schools, including some 1.5 million who will join the first batch of students in Grade 11, which ushers in two additional years in basic education in the country.