<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR>Schools should stop offering them altogether
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->I APPLAUD the move by the Ministry of Education to suspend sexuality education programmes offered by external agencies. In fact, I believe schools should stop offering them altogether, to send a strong signal that sexuality education is primarily the responsibility of parents.
It is tough for external educators to strike a balanced tone between abstinence and safe sex, and even so-called 'deviant' sexuality when planning a programme targeted at a group of youth from heterogeneous social and religious backgrounds. Hence, the recent outburst by concerned parents is understandable.
As a parent of two young children, with values shaped by my religious faith, I strongly believe it would be a fatal mistake to view sex education as providing information about sexual intercourse and related issues. Sex education is about relationships, and it is far more important for young people to know how to have a variety of healthy relationships, rather than focus on sex as a small aspect of a specific type of relationship.
If we hold this view, it naturally follows that 'sex education' begins at home and from a young age. It begins from when children form their gender identities and understand gender roles. It also begins when they learn to identify different body parts.
It continues when they see how mummy and daddy relate to each other and to their family and friends. It extends to when they begin to learn how to care for and express their love for other people. In the home environment, parents have already established the authority to teach their children based on their preferred value systems.
Perhaps, instead of offering sexuality education programmes, schools and community organisations can offer programmes to teach parents how to talk about sexuality at home.
Dr Chan Lai Gwen
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->I APPLAUD the move by the Ministry of Education to suspend sexuality education programmes offered by external agencies. In fact, I believe schools should stop offering them altogether, to send a strong signal that sexuality education is primarily the responsibility of parents.
It is tough for external educators to strike a balanced tone between abstinence and safe sex, and even so-called 'deviant' sexuality when planning a programme targeted at a group of youth from heterogeneous social and religious backgrounds. Hence, the recent outburst by concerned parents is understandable.
As a parent of two young children, with values shaped by my religious faith, I strongly believe it would be a fatal mistake to view sex education as providing information about sexual intercourse and related issues. Sex education is about relationships, and it is far more important for young people to know how to have a variety of healthy relationships, rather than focus on sex as a small aspect of a specific type of relationship.
If we hold this view, it naturally follows that 'sex education' begins at home and from a young age. It begins from when children form their gender identities and understand gender roles. It also begins when they learn to identify different body parts.
It continues when they see how mummy and daddy relate to each other and to their family and friends. It extends to when they begin to learn how to care for and express their love for other people. In the home environment, parents have already established the authority to teach their children based on their preferred value systems.
Perhaps, instead of offering sexuality education programmes, schools and community organisations can offer programmes to teach parents how to talk about sexuality at home.
Dr Chan Lai Gwen
