SEX EDUCATION

The writer (in pink) believes that a beautiful camaraderie
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            Irish author George Bernard Shaw once said: “Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything”.

            The suggestion by Women, Family and Community Development Ministry to start sex education next year, with male teenagers aged 16 and above being the target group, is a daring move, considering the country’s religious and cultural sensitivities. It will be a great challenge to explain the rationality and relevancy of the implementation to the community and parents, especially, while students may experience a “culture shock” when they are first introduced to sex education. It may not guarantee immediate results but I believe with continuous effort and support by the government and the community, the policy will eventually bear fruit.

            We have heard many incidents involving male teenagers, who commit sexual offences over the years. The fact that boys reach their puberty later than girls may be a reason some boys make immature decisions that result in sex crimes, including rape and sexual harassment. The consequences are undesirable, distressing and dreadful. Teenage offenders charged with sex crimes will have a disciplinary blemish on their record and will face the law for their actions. They will also tarnish the good name of their families and schools, while the victims may suffer emotional and mental trauma.

            With the advent of technology, teenagers can easily gain access to websites with inappropriate content. It is a guilty pleasure for teenagers, who are left unmonitored by parents, to frequently visit these websites, and even download sex clips, which will lead to negative consequences. If sex education is implemented, male teenagers will get a chance to increase awareness regarding human sexuality. The syllabus should touch on the effects of engaging in sexual intercourse at a young age, masturbation and pornography. Male teens should know that the short- and long-term effects affect their health, academic performance, developmental growth as well as the perception and impression of others towards them.

            Sex education is important to both male and female teenagers. However, boys have always been left out when it comes to providing information regarding hormones or sexual anatomy, for instance. They are expected to rely solely on few topics in science subjects at school, which are not holistic. Girls, on the other hand, usually receive informal education from female family members regarding sexuality, menstruation and risk, even before they finish primary school. Thus, sex education in schools may be able to give male teenagers their fair share of information they need to know.

            Also, the inclusion of sex education in schools could help parents who may not be comfortable or face difficulty to discuss sex-related topics with their children. Consequently, children will make personal effort to gain understanding about human sexuality. This initiative may pose a risk to teenagers, especially with the influence of dirty-minded peers who could lure into unhealthy habits.

            Implementing sex education in schools means applying adopt-and-adapt concept. We adopt a Western approach in our learning culture with the hope that learners, teachers, parents and other members of society can adapt with the new change. Everything has its pros and cons, but there’s no harm trying.

Courtesy of New Straits Times

16 February 2015