by Alex Roldan
Should sex education be taught in our schools? Maybe, we should paraphrase it – should we teach our children sex education?
The public controversy over sex education has been with us for the longest time, yet it never progressed beyond the question whether or not sexual education should be taught in schools, rather than the best way to teach sex education to our children.
Listen to their arguments. The church believes that sex education would just make our children promiscuous – as their knowledge of contraceptives would only encourage them to experiment on sex. The advocates, on the other hand, argue that children about sexuality early in life would make them responsible people and would behave more responsibly because they are aware of the risks of promiscuity.
During my high school days the sex education program was implemented. Though I found no problem with the discussion, I noticed that teachers constantly struggled to keep the children focused on the gravity of what was being discussed. For those classes full of immature children titillated by the subject matter, giggles and hollers would drown the teacher’s voice when the discussion reached the deadly serious aspect of approaching their sexual development responsibility.
If the result of the program was evaluated as to its effectiveness, I am not aware of.
Whether sex education in schools can help reduce risky sexual behavior among our children is everyone’s guess. Opposing points still base their premises on rather ambiguous roots and neither side can point exactly which is the best way – teaching children about sexuality or by rearing them to be responsible citizens. There are no concrete studies or evidence to show which is the best way to attack the problem, that is exactly why the debate failed to raise to the level of how is the best way to teach sex education to our children.
The church and sex education advocates have all the time and can use anything that they hands can hold on to against each other because both of them cannot present unambiguous evidence to show that indeed theirs is the best way!
The decision of the Department of Education to officially launch the program despite stiff opposition by the “moral bearers” will only raise the issue into a political one.
However, it is also foolish for us to pretend that sex does not exist! We are fooling ourselves if we ignore the fact that our children, with no sex education support from any of us, would in the natural process aware of their sexuality in whatever stage in life they are. Our responsibility, therefore, is to guide them in such a way that will cause them to mature normally.
I completely agree with the proposal of the DepEd that one way to naturally integrate sex education in schools is by making it a part of scientific courses, such as Human Biology, Human Anatomy, Human Behavior or Health. And, if I may suggest, the students should be graded to impress upon them that sex is a serious matter, it is a responsibility and not for “recreational” purposes only!
We were a product of the past sex education program of the government, and I can attest that it is grossly irresponsible to conclude that when children are taught anything about sex, they would go and experiment with sex, with contraception and even homosexuality. It is just outrageous to think that our kids are morons and cannot understand what is right or wrong, cannot preserve what is right if they are taught the right thing!
Just like guns. Guns were banned before because of the belief that it makes people violent. But responsible gun ownership education disproves the myth. Records show that the uneducated gun holders are the ones who developed aggressive behaviors and the tendency to commit crime is high among them
I suggest that the clashing parties should come together and discuss the problem of high-risk sexual behaviors of our children and decide what should be done. This is about our next generation’s future and we cannot argue forever! DepEd cannot do so much, unless we stop quarreling and lend our hand, for God’s sake.
For comments. E-mail to: roldanalex@yahoo.com
