It will be compulsory for all post-primary schools in Northern Ireland to teach pupils about access to abortion and prevention of early pregnancy.
It comes after Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris laid new regulations in Parliament, covering relationships and sex education (RSE).
In a written statement, he said he had a legal duty to act on recommendations made in a United Nations (UN) report.
Until now individuals schools have decided how to teach sex education.
But the Report of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, or the CEDAW Report, it said RSE in Northern Ireland should be compulsory and comprehensive.
In practice that will mean pupils have to be taught about issues like how to prevent a pregnancy, the legal right to an abortion in Northern Ireland, and how relevant services may be accessed.
The Department of Education has been contacted by BBC News NI for a response to the new regulations.
