Is Sex Education Needed In School?

Sex education is also known as sexuality education. It is also about developing young people's skills so that they make informed choices about their behaviour, and feel confident and competent about acting on these choices. We need to face facts that our young generation are having their first sexual experience at an earlier age and have a shallow understanding of AIDS. Not only that, we read of gang-rapes, unwanted teenage pregnancies, baby dumping and even stories of teenagers being totally unaware that they are pregnant until they deliver.

Sex education is not only about the mechanics of sex but also learning how to respect and protect our bodies. School-based sex education can be an important and effective way of enhancing young people's knowledge, attitudes and behaviour. Sex education aims to reduce risks of potentially negative outcomes from sexual behaviour, such as unwanted pregnancies and infection with sexually transmitted diseases including AIDS.
Sex education has become a debatable issue. Most of people think that this kind of delicate issue should be left to the parents. Parents feel embarrassed to talk openly with their children. With the shocking increase of AIDS, unwanted pregnancies and other diseases related to sex, it is important that sex education should be introduced in schools.

Teaching children about sex in schools will encourage them to view it as a natural, normal and healthy part of life. If children learn about sex in scientific and objective way, they will be more careful before indulging in sex secretly. At least they will be careful to take precautions to avoid pregnancies and diseases.

Sex education in school can form children's attitudes and beliefs. Effective sex educations make children to explore and understand why people have sex, and to think about how it involves emotions, respect for one self and other people and their feelings, decisions and bodies.

However, as parents, we should not just leave it to the teachers but take it upon themselves (no matter how embarrassing) to have frank discussions of responsible sexual behaviour with their kids. We want the best for our kids and protect them in every possible way no matter what, don't we?