Introduction of Sexuality Education Lessons in Public Elementary and High Schools
Exposure to sexuality education lessons should be done as early as the teenage years of a child, as this is a stage wherein they undergo puberty and experience various changes in their body and realizations about their relationships with others. For this reason, these concepts should be integrated into the school curriculum of both public elementary and high schools to make learning about this topic more accessible to children of various social classes. However, in doing so, it is important to conduct careful planning to ensure that the children are receiving comprehensive lessons from well-trained and sensitive professionals.
Comprehensive sexuality education should not only encompass topics on reproduction and contraception but also lessons on puberty, relationships, sexual violence prevention, body image, gender identity, and sexual orientation. It has several benefits, in that it can help prevent teenage pregnancies, minimize the spread of HIV and STDs, and equip children with the appropriate knowledge to make decisions regarding sexual matters. It opens an avenue for children to communicate openly about sexual health and sexuality, which may be difficult to talk about in public spaces. Other than these, comprehensive sexuality education also helps in understanding healthy and unhealthy relationships, which helps in combatting sexual abuse, violence, discrimination, and exploitation among children. It also enables the creation of safe spaces for people of all genders, by helping children understand the concepts of gender identity and sexual orientation.
Despite this wide range of benefits, integration of comprehensive sexual education in school curriculums poses several challenges. For one, the Philippines is a predominantly Catholic country, with conservative beliefs. Hence, the topic of sex is considered taboo, as it is believed that it can taint the morality of children. Furthermore, another challenge would be the lack of skilled teachers in teaching sex education.
In the case of our locality, on top of the aforementioned challenges, the budget cuts in our education sector and the lack of a strong political further complicates and hinders the implementation of comprehensive sex education. However, it is for this very reason that we should strengthen our calls because evidence presents that it may cause more good than harm to our youth.
References:
Bridges, E. & Hauser, D. (2014). Sexuality Education. https://www.advocatesforyouth.org/resources/fact-sheets/sexuality-education-2/
Mijatović, D. (2020). Comprehensive sexuality education protects children and helps build a safer, inclusive society. coe.int/en/web/commissioner/-/comprehensive-sexuality-education-protects-children-and-helps-build-a-safer-inclusive-society#:~:text=Sexuality%20education%20is%20essential%20to,sexual%20violence%20and%20sexual%20exploitation.