Title:	Sexual and Reproductive health and Rights: Policy, Governance and Financing (SRHR POL)
Keywords:	Sexual and reproductive health and rights Planning and programming Health Policy Governance Financing
Country:	Netherlands
Institution:	The Netherlands - KIT Institute, Amsterdam
Course coordinator:	Marielle Le Mat
Date start:	2027-05-10
Date end:	2027-05-26
About duration and dates:	Duration is 2,5 weeks. Application deadline is 2 months before the start date of the course. If space is available and no visa required, students can apply until 4 weeks prior to the first course day.
Classification:	advanced optional
Mode of delivery:	Face to face
Course location: KIT Institute PO Box 95001, 1090 HA Amsterdam The Netherlands Tel: +31-20-5688256 Website: www.kit.nl
ECTS credit points:	3 ECTS credits
SIT: 84h: 30 hours contact time, 54 hours self-study time, including work on the assignment.
Language:	English
Description: By the end of the course students should be able to: ● Analyse how policies, governance arrangements, human rights frameworks, and financing structures influence the development and implementation of SRHR policies by public and private actors. ● Identify and discuss how relevant international aid and trade agreements, development commitments, and financial mechanisms shape regional and national policies related to comprehensive Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR). ● Conduct a strategic SRHR policy review from a multi-stakeholder perspective and communicate the findings and recommendations in a policy brief.
Assessment Procedures: Participants are required to complete a single summative assessment (100% of the final mark) consisting of an individual policy brief (2.000 words). KIT guidelines on AI use and Academic Integrity applies. In this brief, students must critically address one SRHR-related policy issue. Two plenary tutoring sessions are held where students can present their challenges and discuss potential ways of resolving these with their classmates and a facilitator. The paper is marked using a standardised assessment rubric/grid to ensure common grading criteria. Students receive detailed written feedback on their policy brief alongside their results within 15 working days. To further support learning, an online feedback session will be held after the release of grades to address general trends and questions. The pass mark is 6/10. Participants who did not obtain the pass mark are entitled to one resit, which will take place in, at least, 10 working days from the results (exact date to be agreed upon at the start of the course). The resit entails revising and resubmitting the original policy brief per, incorporating the feedback provided by examiners to meet the required standards. If a resit is requested by the student and the policy brief was a pass, a new topic is required for the policy brief. If the student fails, one hour of additional tutoring is provided In case the student is not present at 90% of the contact hours, an additional written assignment needs to be done by the student. Mandatory presence of 90% of the practical sessions (related to the policy brief assignment, tutorial sessions and journal clubs) and a minimum mark of 6/10 in the assignment to get a certificate of completion.
Content: Achieving comprehensive Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights requires supportive laws, policies, financing arrangements, and accountability mechanisms. However, SRHR policies are often shaped by competing political, economic, social, and ideological interests. How are these policies developed and implemented? Which actors influence them? And how can international commitments, human rights frameworks, and evidence be used to advance equitable access to SRHR? This course critically examines the policy, governance, legal, and financing dimensions of SRHR. Participants explore international agreements and development commitments, human rights frameworks, policy processes, stakeholder interests, governance and accountability mechanisms, and financing for SRHR within Universal Health Coverage. These perspectives are applied to selected policy areas, including abortion, comprehensive sexuality education, primary health care, and digital and Big Tech policy. Participants conduct a strategic policy review from a multi-stakeholder perspective and communicate evidence-informed findings and recommendations in the form of a policy brief. The course covers the following content : ● International agreements, development commitments, and human rights frameworks relevant to SRHR ● Approaches and methods for SRHR policy analysis and policy review ● Stakeholder analysis and multi-stakeholder perspectives in SRHR policymaking ● SRHR governance, resource mobilisation, and accountability mechanisms ● Health financing for Universal Health Coverage and its application to SRHR ● Legal, policy, and financing frameworks for primary health care and SRHR service delivery ● Abortion laws and policies ● Comprehensive sexuality education policy: adoption, adaptation, implementation, and resistance ● Digital and Big Tech policies relevant to SRHR ● Developing evidence-informed recommendations and communicating them through a policy brief
Methods: ● Interactive lectures, flipped classrooms and online lectures presenting and discussing foundational knowledge (24h). ● Journal Clubs (4h) for critical reading of scientific and policy papers using guided questions. ● Plenary tutorials (2h) as mandatory sessions for peer-feedback and pitching policy briefs. ● Self-study and writing of policy brief assignment (54 hours). In line with our social constructivist approach, the course leverages the diverse backgrounds and working experiences of participants, who are encouraged to engage in peer-to-peer learning to enhance their practical knowledge and professional competencies.
Prerequisites: ● Bachelor’s degree or equivalent academic training in either medicine or another field related to health care, such as health sciences, health economics, social sciences, or nursing ● A minimum of three years of health-related work experience in health systems, not limited to (organisation of) individual patient care ● If not a native English speaker, an English proficiency at the level of TOEFL 5.5 or IELTS 6.5 (certificate is not required). ● Computer and internet literacy; the participant should be able to use computer access to Wi-Fi networks, and working level understanding of Microsoft Office software (e.g. Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Adobe (PDF). Students will be introduced to the e-learning platform.
Attendance: Minimum number of students: 10 Maximum number of students: 34 Maximum number of TropEd students: 5
Selection: If prerequisites are met, the selection will be on the “First come, first served” basis.
Fees: Fees for 202 7 Regular course fee: €1.995,- tropEd fee: €1.795,- Early bird fee: €1.596,- (paid before: 10-02-2027 )
Scholarships: There are no current specific scholarships for this course; for latest updates see; https://www.kit.nl/institute/study/scholarship-information/
Major changes since initial accreditation: Since the last accreditation the following changes were made: 1.The instruction for the policy brief assignment has changed: instead of 2000 (+10%), now the word count is max 2000; Executive summary and the conclusions & recommendations as well as the literature search are no longer included in the assignment. It remains a single assignment. 2. Some sessions are merged with the Health Policy and Financing course (those related to UHC policy session and policy brief). 3. The learning objectives were sharpened and better aligned to exit competences. 4. In the QA and weekly wrap ups, the policy assignment is core focus. 5. Mandatory presence of 90% of the practical sessions (related to the policy brief assignment, tutorial sessions and journal clubs). 6. Since a few years, the programme includes journal clubs that have replaced earlier class sessions. For selected topics, students are required to read scientific articles that they need to analyse with the help of guiding questions (for structured reading, comprehension, and reflections on own country’s situation). 7. More self-study and tutorial time was allocated.
Student evaluation: Students generally evaluate the course positively. They indicated that the module objectives aligned well with the overall course objectives and appreciated the relevance of the sessions. External/TropEd participants were particularly positive about the module and its applicability to professional practice. Overall, students considered the reading materials sufficient and regarded the module as beneficial for their professional development and future careers. Some students felt that the module content was highly conceptual from the outset and expressed a desire for more practical implementation-oriented examples and applications. In addition, students indicated that they only fully understood the assignment requirements towards the end of the module and would have appreciated more tutorial-based guidance throughout the course. Some students experienced difficulties engaging with the articles and discussions in journal clubs and expressed a need for additional guidance and clearer framing of the objectives of the journal clubs.
Lessons learned: 25. Lessons learned Based on these evaluations, several changes were implemented in 2025 to strengthen student engagement and support throughout the module. To provide students with earlier exposure to policy analysis and strengthen their preparation for the final assignment, students now assess a policy brief of their choice during the first tutorial session and pitch their own full paper during the final tutorial session. This helps students engage more actively with the assignment process from the beginning of the module. Additional self-study time has also been incorporated into the module schedule to allow students more time to work on the policy brief assignment and engage more deeply with the course materials. Furthermore, dedicated sessions were introduced on Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), including sessions focusing specifically on health financing and SRHR, and governance and SRHR. These additions help strengthen the integration of health systems concepts with current policy and implementation debates in global health.
tropEd accreditation: Accredited in December 2016. Re-accredited in June 2018 and June 2023. Re-accredited in EC telco in July 2024. Re-accredited in EC telco Sept 2026. This accreditation is valid until Sept 2031.
Email Address:	m.l.mat@kit.nl
Date Of Record Creation:	2016-12-22 16:22:41 (W3C-DTF)
Date Of Record Release:	2016-12-22 21:36:59 (W3C-DTF)
Date Record Checked:	2018-06-21 (W3C-DTF)
Date Last Modified:	2026-10-14 09:29:26 (W3C-DTF)