A sex education teacher, María Inés Peredowho, is facing sack after asking her male students to bring a condom filled with their semen to class.
Parents in Bolivia were angered by the lesson, which was supposed to be part of a sex education class on the male reproductive system, and now the unusual lesson could cost the female teacher her job at the Juana Azurduy de Padilla school in the municipality of Minero.
Peredowho has been accused of corruption of minors, and has now apologised for the “misunderstanding”.
It has been stressed that the students were not obliged to do the “homework”.
“I am a mother of a family with four small children and I am not a pervert,” Peredowho told Duty newspaper.
Peredowho went on to explain that the assignment was to see how long sperm can live in a humid place or environment.
“That was my goal as a teacher and not, as some media say, to pervert the students and have them masturbate and bring it in a jar, at no time was that my intention,” she added.
She said the lesson was to also warn girls to avoid this substance if they wanted to prevent pregnancies.
The teacher explained: “I have not killed anyone, I have not raped anyone.
“If I have to go to jail for teaching a sex education class, the population will tell, because sooner or later the young people are going to find out by one means or another, that I am imparting knowledge and if I have made a mistake I apologise to the entire society of Minero and Bolivia.”
Carlos Oporto, director of the Santa Cruz Special Force to Fight Violence, told reporters:
“At the moment we are seeing the psychological interviews of Minero high school students.”
“Depending on the outcome of those will decide if we are going to take measures.”
Edwin Huayllani, departmental director of education, added: “She has been suspended from the corresponding function for the duration of the investigation.”