Integration of Sex Education in the school curriculum

Overview

Children face inevitable choices about relationships, sexuality, and sexual behavior as
they grow up. The choices they make can affect their well-being and prosperity in the rest of their
life. They have the right to live a healthy life, and the society has the duty to prepare them with
accessible information that will guide them in their decision-making in the future.

Sex and reproductive health education is now imperative considering that children are
exposed daily to a myriad of information about sex on television, the internet, and other mass
media. Forming the value on sex among children is now the concern of all institutions in society
if we want them to mature with the right notion of sex.

Traditionally, adolescents are not given any information on sexual matters, a discussion
of these issues is considered taboo. If at all, the discussion of this matter is left to the child’s
parents, and often this is put off until just before the child’s marriage. It should be also noted
that girls and boys receive a different orientation about sex education. Often, girls are educated
within a protective discourse accenting the hazards of boys and pregnancy and being “caught
out” whereas boys are more seemingly to be teased and encouraged by the time they reach
adolescent. This shows that the knowledge acquired by these children from their home on the
matters of sex is not enough.

Most of the information on sexual matters are obtained informally from friends and the
media, and much of these were of doubtful value. This information was usually known to be
deficient, especially during the period following puberty when curiosity of sexual matters was
the most acute. This deficiency may be observed as one of the factors in the increasing incidence
of teenage pregnancies here in the Philippines. As a part of the country’s effort to reduce these
incidents such as pregnancies, programs of sex education were instituted, initially over strong
opposition from a parent and religious groups.
 Today, proponents of sex education strive to address the complex array of issues that
young people face. There is a lot of a holistic approach to sex and relationships education
nowadays and a far wider variety of topics to cover. Integrating sex education with a discussion
of social issues — diversity, culture, gender, and power — is key. These issues underpin not just
individual relationships, but the society in general, impacting the health and well-being of its
members.

While sex education is more widely accepted today than when it was initially introduced,
there will always be controversy surrounding its presence in our educational system. Some
parents might be reluctant to expose their children to this sort of classes, regardless of whether
for religious reasons or their desire to preserve their innocence. Conservative activists oppose
the curriculum, saying that if kids learn too much about sex, they'll want to try it out themselves.
Especially, nowadays, children are immersed in sexual imagery through different platforms. They
have more access and exposure to sexually oriented materials than at any other point in history.
One only needs to watch television or access the internet to confirm this. Consider the confusion
and misinformation that could occur from these unreliable sources. Children deserve to be given
the proper information that will enable them to make responsible and healthy decisions.

Initially, this education should start at home. Parents should provide guidance to their
children. If only it were possible to ensure that all parents had the proper knowledge and were
also willing to share it, life would be better; but many children do not have the advantage of such
parents. Hence, the school, as their second home, should take charge and bring forth the proper
guidance and directions needed. However, it is not enough for projects to incorporate discussions
of abstinence and contraception to enable them to stay away from unintended pregnancy or
illness. Comprehensive sexual health education instruction will accomplish more. It must give
honest, age-suitable information and skills that are important to enable them to assume
individual liability for their self and their health.