Sex Education should be implemented in the school

Sex education can be described as education or teachings revolving around sex and
relationships. Its purpose is to impart knowledge, to form beliefs and attitudes, to build
relationships, intimacy and sexual identity. There are a lot of things to be known regarding
sex such as human anatomy, intercourse, reproductive health, responsibilities and rights.
Recommendation
Due to the British paedophile, Richard Huckles sexual abuse cases involving young
Malaysian victims, the ministry now realises that an open and informed discussion of
sexuality is important and that such education needs to start in school.
In our country, elements of sex education under the Pendidikan Kesihatan subject, of
which 75 per cent covers content on Reproductive and Social Health Education (PEERS),
15 per cent on diet and 10 per cent on first aid, have only been taught at the secondary
school level since 1989 and primary level since 1994.
Sex education is not a standalone subject with a specific curriculum. Students learn
about them in Pendidikan Islam, Pendidikan Kesihatan and Science subjects. This approach
of incorporating the elements into existing subjects has worked out in some countries. For
instance, the Netherlands, which stands out as having one of the lowest rates of teen
pregnancy in the world (2.2 births per 1,000 women aged 15 to 17) claimed that it was the
result of high-quality sex education for both primary and secondary school students.
In a lot of ways, sex education in our country is still stuck in the past and not really
representative of the age we live in now. With the world moving too fast, we are way behind.
Unfortunately, we have a million and one ways to avoid teaching or talking about sex
and sexuality openly. It is a subject that is deemed a taboo.
Today, we not only need a new sex education syllabus, but we need all schools to
teach it. Currently, schools embrace sex education with varying degrees of enthusiasm that,
as a consequence, will make it almost impossible for the subject to be taught at a consistent
level nationwide.
Educators experience a lot of anxiety and tension when faced with teaching young
people about these issues. And, this tension can result in avoiding, or not effectively
addressing, sex education.
At the same time, many teachers dont feel adequately equipped or comfortable
teaching it. Most adults didnt grow up with a lot of information on sex, so it makes sense that
they dont feel prepared to discuss it with young people.
The UKM study also found that teachers used metaphors and made jokes when teaching
sex elements, which not only confused students but made the class irrelevant.
So, even with a new improved and updated national curriculum on this subject, there
should not be a lack of consistency in the delivery of the programmes. Teachers must be
properly trained as approaching the subject is not easy and would require additional training
and support.

Recommendation
1. Incorporate the elements of sex education in the subjects taught in school.
In our country, elements of sex education under the Pendidikan Kesihatan subject,
of which 75 per cent covers content on Reproductive and Social Health Education
(PEERS), 15 per cent on diet and 10 per cent on first aid, have only been taught at

the secondary school level since 1989 and primary level since 1994.
Sex education is not a standalone subject with a specific curriculum. Students learn

about them in Pendidikan Islam, Pendidikan Kesihatan and Science subjects.

This approach of incorporating the elements into existing subjects has worked out in
some countries. For instance, the Netherlands, which stands out as having one of
the lowest rates of teen pregnancy in the world (2.2 births per 1,000 women aged 15
to 17) claimed that it was the result of high-quality sex education for both primary

and secondary school students.

Integration of the elements of sex education into subjects taught in the school is the
better way for now until new sex education syllabus being introduced by the ministry

of education.
Time is needed in designing a new syllabus as thorough research need to be done,
many consideration need to be taken into consideration such as the parents

perspective, and the suitability of the content with the age of the learners.
For example, currently, topics covering the reproductive functions and healthcare are
already being taught in science, Islamic studies, moral studies and physical and

health education.
The health science textbook for Year 5 pupils touches the topic on the process of
getting pregnant and they are being exposed to terms like vagina, penis and sperm,
as well as diagrams of the reproductive system.

2. Give a proper training and support for teachers that teach the subject related to sex
education.
In a lot of ways, sex education in our country is still stuck in the past and not really
representative of the age we live in now. With the world moving too fast, we are way
behind. We have a million and one ways to avoid teaching or talking about sex and

sexuality openly. It is a subject that is deemed a taboo.

Today, we not only need a new sex education syllabus, but we need all schools to
teach it. Currently, schools embrace sex education with varying degrees of
enthusiasm that, as a consequence, will make it almost impossible for the subject to

be taught at a consistent level nationwide.

Educators experience a lot of anxiety and tension when faced with teaching young
people about these issues. And, this tension can result in avoiding, or not effectively
addressing, sex education.

At the same time, many teachers dont feel adequately equipped or comfortable
teaching it. Most adults didnt grow up with a lot of information on sex, so it makes

sense that they dont feel prepared to discuss it with young people.
The UKM study also found that teachers used metaphors and made jokes when
teaching sex elements, which not only confused students but made the class

irrelevant.
So, even with a new improved and updated national curriculum on this subject, there
should not be a lack of consistency in the delivery of the programmes. Teachers
must be properly trained as approaching the subject is not easy and would require
additional training and support.

3. Good collaboration between the school and the parents

Children will receive some sex education at school, of course, but this may focus
mainly on the biological side of the sex. So, its important for the parents to balance

this out by discussing the more complex, emotional side of sex too.
For example, the teacher in school has touched the topic of puberty and has
explained the symptoms and changes that might occur in their body. But the teacher
couldnt explain in detail the emotional side due to the puberty such as the feeling
that might develop, their might experience unstable emotion. Thus, the parents need
to play their role. The parents need to explain patiently to their kids of the sign that

they might experience because of puberty.

This is very essential in order to not let the pupils feel strange when they reach
puberty as they have already gained the knowledge and know what happen to their
body during the puberty.

THE case for an updated sex education curriculum in our schools seems to be more
compelling than ever now. Calls have been made for greater discussion on the syllabus
content in the wake of convicted British paedophile Richard Huckles sexual abuse cases
involving young Malaysian victims.

Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid recently said the ministry was pursuing steps
to introduce a suitable sex education syllabus for preschoolers. During the announcement of
next years school curricula revamp, Education Director-General Tan Sri Dr Khair Mohamad
Yusof said that the content of the Reproductive and Social Health Education (PEERS)
currently taught in primary and secondary schools will be upgraded, too.

And, now that the ministry realises that an open and informed discussion of sexuality is
important and that such education needs to start in school, the following questions should
be: how much sex education should be provided to young people? What should it teach
them and in what context?

Unfortunately, we have a million and one ways to avoid teaching or talking about sex and
sexuality, a subject that is deemed a taboo.

I spent 11 years studying at all-girls schools, with the last five at a boarding school. It was
hardly a topic discussed openly with the teachers, not even during biology lessons.

Of course, to be fair, the separation of us girls from the boys during the years of greatest
personal and physical change in an already complicated mix of hormones and self-discovery
had certainly removed one factor for the teachers to deal with in school.

Teaching prevention, I remember, involved the screening of all letters by the wardens that
were sent to us and the practice of calling all males (unless they were teachers), Pakcik.

Any inappropriate content as defined by them would result in these letters (usually
from boys) being displayed on the notice board, serving as a warning and guideline for the
rest of us when dealing with the opposite sex.

In our country, elements of sex education under the Pendidikan Kesihatan subject, of which
75 per cent covers content on PEERS, 15 per cent on diet and 10 per cent on first aid, have
only been taught at the secondary school level since 1989 and primary level since 1994.

Sex education is not a standalone subject with a specific curriculum. Students learn about
them in Pendidikan Islam, Pendidikan Kesihatan and Science subjects. This approach of
incorporating the elements into existing subjects has worked out in some countries. For
instance, the Netherlands, which stands out as having one of the lowest rates of teen
pregnancy in the world (2.2 births per 1,000 women aged 15 to 17) claimed that it was the
result of high-quality sex education for both primary and secondary school students.

In 2011, a study by the Centre for General Studies, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM),
on whether sex education or elements of it are being taught in Malaysian schools concluded
that 90 per cent of the respondents agreed that sex education had not been taught in
Malaysian schools.

The respondents were asked to compare what they had learned in school with the aspects
of sex education based on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organisations 2009 curriculum guidelines. According to them, what was taught in classes
was a combination of two or three topics related to the physical development of children and
adolescents, development of the reproductive and fertility system and sex within the Islamic
context, which they said was needed to pass exams.

In another 2011 study by Universiti Malayas Department of Social Administration and

Justice on the effectiveness of a school-based sexual abuse prevention curriculum, it was
found that only 40 per cent of 9-year-old respondents said they knew what to do in instances
of an adult stranger touching them in an inappropriate way evidence that the sex
education we currently have is not fit for the purpose.

In a lot of ways, sex education in our country is still stuck in the past and not really
representative of the age we live in now. With the world moving too fast, we are way behind.

Today, we not only need a new sex education syllabus, but we need all schools to teach it.
Currently, schools embrace sex education with varying degrees of enthusiasm that, as a
consequence, will make it almost impossible for the subject to be taught at a consistent level
nationwide.

Educators experience a lot of anxiety and tension when faced with teaching young people
about these issues. And, this tension can result in avoiding, or not effectively addressing, sex
education.

At the same time, many teachers dont feel adequately equipped or comfortable teaching it.
Most adults didnt grow up with a lot of information on sex, so it makes sense that they dont
feel prepared to discuss it with young people.

The UKM study also found that teachers used metaphors and made jokes when teaching
sex elements, which not only confused students but made the class irrelevant.

So, even with a new improved and updated national curriculum on this subject, there should
not be a lack of consistency in the delivery of the programmes. Teachers must be properly
trained as approaching the subject is not easy and would require additional training and
support.

If were going to teach sex education in schools, lets do it properly. Lets not make it just
another lesson in school in which a teacher walks in for a 45-minute Pendidikan Kesihatan
class and says: Sila buat kerja sendiri. (Please do your own work)