Why Sex Education Should Be Taught In Public Schools
The importance of effective sex education to children should never be underestimated. In fact, I firmly believe, that they should be taught about this critical aspect of human existence. I am also convinced that our children must be educated by persons who are capable and responsible. Sex education will allow children to gain valuable knowledge and skills. Thus, guiding and motivating them to make healthy and effective decisions about sex and sexuality. It should be introduced to them in the school curriculum as early as primary school. There has always been a debate in our society as to the appropriate age that children are to be exposed to sex education. Sonia Folkes recommends that sex education should begin at the age of seven. She opines that seven is the age of reason. She states that because there are a lot of misconceptions about sex and sexuality, children as young as ten years old are indulging in sexual intercourse and they do not have a clue of the dangers they are getting themselves in. I strongly urge parents to fight against allowing their children to be informed by the wrong person(s) as this would cause them to go down the wrong pathway. This danger can be averted and prevented by proper and effective sex education in school. Most definitely, children should be taught about their sexual and reproductive health from early, educating them on how to safeguard them selfies against sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies.
It is evident that our children need to be educated on how to safeguard themselves against sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Educating children about sex and STDs does not encourage them to become sexually active, but if they do, they will understand the risks they will face and know how to protect themselves. Studies have shown that: “In 2011, more than 1.7 million cases of chlamydia and gonorrhoea were reported, with adolescent girls (ages 15-19) and minorities bearing a significant burden.1 Adolescents aged 13–24 represented roughly 26% of the new HIV diagnoses in 2010, 57% of which were among young African Americans. It is essential that all adolescents learn behaviours that can help them lower the risk of acquiring or transmitting HIV and other STIs.”
It is evident that children should be educated on how to prevent unwanted pregnancies. Too much of our young people receive confusing and conflicting information about relationships and sex, as they make the change from childhood to adulthood. “UNFPA statistics has showed that 18% of all births in Jamaica occur to teenagers which is quite alarming. One major challenge is the fact that teen-mothers often drop out of the school system, which his has a double negative effect on our society.” Some had claimed that sex education does not have any effect on the rate of teen pregnancy but according to the latest Reproductive and Health Survey, nearly 12 per cent of Jamaican girls reported having had sex before age 15 without the knowledge of what they are getting into and the dangers.
Despite evidence to the contrary, some may say that sex education should not be taught in public schools because it will motivates students for initiating sexual behaviour as well as schools are incapable of adequately teaching the complicated topic of sex education. Students being too exposed of sexual content will become more curious about sex and become prone to engage in sexual activities. Sex education should be left up to the parents of the students, they are in a better position to guide their children properly when it comes to sex.
While I acknowledge the points made by the opposition, children should indeed be sex educated, which will motivate and empower them to hold their head high, focus on their goal and leave sex for their adult life when they are more mature. Schools are capable of teaching children the complicated topic of sex education. Providing children with detailed information is a plus for making good decisions.
Children and teenagers need good and correct information from the right sources (schools) about sex, sexual relationships in order to make good decision for their present and future. They need to understand about what can happen if there are misunderstanding about sex, which can turn out to be dangerous. Indeed, knowledge is power, and in this current, crazy world that we are living in children need all the necessary information they could get. They are the future doctors, nurse, teachers and the list go on, for the next generation to come. Implementing sex education in schools will make our children better able to prepared properly. With all the evidence presented and research done, it proves that sex education brings many benefits by reducing the rate of teenage pregnancy, providing teenagers with the wright information, and also protecting them from Sexual Transmitted Diseases.
