In other words, a fairly standard process. But when the outline of what the government wants taught to schoolchildren is influenced by the über-orthodox Catholics of Opus Dei, a group that wields much power in the country, then strange things start happening. Take for example the very recent licitation to write the “Methodological Guide for Teachers and Autodidactic Modules for the Elaboration of Sexual Education and Sexual and Reproductive Health for Students in Alternative Basic Education”. For this textbook, the government tendered for one psychologist, a doctor specialized in sexual matters and an educational sociologist. So far so normal, but amongst the subjects, according to the government at least, the textbook needed to clearly explain to Peru’s youth that;
“…homosexuality, transvestitism, voyeurism, masturbation and prostitution are deviations of sexual expresivity and behaviour”.
When this hit the media and the guy in charge of the whole licitation process was interrogated, we were told that “there seems to have been a mistake made” and that “he had no idea who had written this outline“.
How these people must hate the press and their so-called ‘human rights’, eh?