Proposed Adolescence Health and Youth Development Centre in Colombo, Sri Lanka

How to Implement Sex Education Effectively

Sachintya Rajapakse

What Is Sex Education? Sexuality education is the lifelong process of acquiring information and forming attitudes, beliefs, and values about identity, relationships, and intimacy. It encompasses sexual development, reproductive health, interpersonal relationships, affection, intimacy, body image, and gender roles. Sexuality education addresses the biological, socio-cultural, psychological, and spiritual dimensions of sexuality.

in transferring authentic info and this process corrects any misinformation that they may have apart from adding to their already existing knowledge. Some may say that if teenagers are taught about sex and sexuality that their interest in it will intensify thus, resulting in experimentation. Although this may indeed be a true, the reality is that teenagers need and deserve information about abstinence and contraception. Sex education teaches that sexuality is a natural, normal part of life and abstinence from sexual intercourse is the most effective method of preventing unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases.

trained sex educator. Teaching children about sex requires gentle and continuous flow of information starting early before they start grasping wrong information from the available sources. Further, it is imperative to teach young people about sex education in a way that not only reflects the values of the family and society, but also enhances the sustainability of a balanced culture. It is a fact that more and more teens these days are engaging into premarital sex. This further emphasises the necessity for sex education for students. Therefore, sex education plays a critical role as it ensures that if they have to engage in sex they will

Physical and mental changes in children start appearing with puberty and sexual development starts much earlier than that. Many children find it strange or difficult to cope up with the changes, so they grow up with curiosity stamped on their Source: SIECUS (Sexuality Information minds. So it is very important to provide them sex education as and Education Council of the United States) it makes growing children aware of these various changes taking place in their bodies and prepare them for responsible adulthood. www.siecus.org It delivers confidence on them to value themselves and others. Sex education helps them understand the place of sexuality in Why Is Sex Education Necessary? human life and loving other people. They will learn to enjoy their We are all sexual. Sexuality is an integral part of each persons sexuality, behave responsibly within their sexual and personal identity. Learning about our sexuality and achieving sexual health relationships which will be carried on to adult hood. Even though and well-being are lifelong processes that begin at birth and sex education does not reduce the chances of sexual activities continue throughout our lives. in students, it helps them to know what the best thing to do is. Teenagers are curious and exploratory. Peer pressure and the media have enormous influences in these lives and if we dont teach them about sex, somehow they would derive information from sources like friends, books, the media comprising advertising, television, magazines and the Internet, but the problem here is that these sources may not provide them correct and accurate information which will lead to devastating consequences eventually. Prevention is better than cure so adequate measures have to be put in place to ensure that students differentiate between facts and myths. Therefore, sex education will help Sex education in schools or elsewhere is important because many parents are shy about talking and teaching their children on this subject and also theres very little public awareness about Adolescence Reproductive Health, primarily due t cultural taboos that have made it difficult for parents, teachers and community leaders to openly discuss key issues within themselves or with adolescence. Educating children on sex related issues also requires one to know how to approach the subject, what information to tell and what to hold back. All these can be carefully handled by a

practice safe sex. This implementation of sex education would in fact help to reduce teenage pregnancy, for the reason that important topics such as puberty, sexual health and hygiene, reproductive systems, pregnancy and contraception will be focused on. These topics will discuss abstinence, condom use, diversity, pregnancy options, safer sex and sexual behaviour. Surveys convey that girls who were not educated about sexuality, including changes during puberty are more likely to embark on sexual indiscretion and become pregnant in their teenage years than those who were educated about sex. Knowledge is power and this could be the difference between an irrational decision and a well-informed one. Further, the teenagers are more into risky sexual behaviour such as sexting (i.e. the exchanges of visual and sexual images through the use of mobile phones) now more than ever. A good sex education can serve as a guide for the youth. Sex education is not only important as a developmental process in the life of a child, it arms the child with the tools to understand him or herself better in relation to the immediate environment and the threats that could emerge from such interaction. This is to say that young people would gain incremental knowledge of the ability to protect themselves and alert people of the threats of sexual exploitation if they are sexually educated. Only by opening up the discussion about sex and beginning to talk to children at young age, we will ever be able to protect them from abuse. Medically accurate sexuality education is an investment in our childrens future and their well-being and the return on investment would be a generation of women and men comfortable in their own skin; able to make wellinformed, responsible decisions; form healthy relationships; and take care of their bodies. As for the facts, after implementing Sex Education programmes, from 1992 to 1996 the United States of America saw a reduction of 13% of pregnancy for 15-19 year olds.

How to implement Sex Education Effectively in Sri Lanka?

Life skills education programme that uses innovative rapid, effective and feasible strategies to reach adolescents in all parts of life over a relatively short period of time could be viewed as the most important and urgent need. Strategies other than imparting knowledge and skills through traditional class room approaches shall be developed. An important component of any such strategy would be to establish a strong advocacy campaign and to solicit the support of policy makers and the society in general shall be implemented at all levels. Creating awareness especially among parents and making them active participants in the programme would be crucial for success of life skill education. Religious leaders, Doctors, Psychologists, Educators, and Parents shall decide what to be taught in schools regarding sexual matters in such a way to match Sri Lankan Culture and Context. This implies that what has to be taught in schools varies from one district to the other because of the beliefs that are held by the parents and the community at large in a particular district. With right approach all the students will take sex education like any other subject and they will be able to learn at ease. It is important to note that a substantial proportion of adolescents leave school after secondary education and thereafter they may have little opportunity to obtain knowledge on reproductive matters. Reasons for the failure of curriculum based reproductive education shall be identified and rectified the deficiencies. Measures shall be taken to improve the public awareness on the importance of proper reproductive health education to adolescents as this could lead to the reduction of cultural resistance that seems to inhibit the teachers and students to talk about the topic. The skills of school teachers in teaching reproductive health to students shall be reassessed and deficiencies corrected. Qualified professionals such as trained teachers, psychologists and medical consultants

who are interested in teaching this subject shall be allocated to teach.

planned for improving the wellbeing of adolescents.

Raising awareness among adolescents on abuse and It is important that students are taught age appropriate sexual increasing skills to avoid situations that may result in abuse health information and develop practical skills for keeping are important. Special attention shall be paid to vulnerable healthy. Educators shall provide culturally meaningful learning groups such as children of migrant mothers, socially opportunities in safe and non judgmental environments so that disadvantaged, adolescents in childrens homes etc. students can learn about sexuality in a healthy and positive Implementation of laws on child abuse, training of health context. workers and teachers on child abuse prevention are some of the other strategies. Students spend so much time in the school and it school life remains an integral part of every childs development, therefore A well organized innovative education campaign on along with the academic subjects built on the previous years STDs to reach all adolescents is essential. It is essential learning, sex-education can be given to the students starting to ensure comprehensiveness of coverage, consistency from grade 5 and the syllabus shall consist mainly prevention and accuracy of the messages and equity in distribution of from child abuse and sexual harassment. From grade 8 onwards, activities. It is also important to main stream the knowledge the syllabus shall consist reproduction system and issues related regarding these subjects in the curriculum and to ensure to that and also more advanced lessons including activities that that it is taught in schools. The effectiveness and coverage address peer pressure and cultural pressure, practices for good of existing awareness campaigns shall be evaluated to see decision making, communication, negotiation and refusal skills. why they seemed to fail in educating target groups. The Students shall be made to understand that sexual education awareness programmes conducted by health system shall is necessary and this plays a critical role in ensuring that the be well coordinated in terms of coverage and contents students do not take it as a game thus this reduces the chances and shall be integrated as far as possible with the other of unprotected sex and increases the chances of abstinence. In activities. addition, sex education shall be graded in order to make sure A major section of the Sri Lankan society lives below the that students take this seriously, not to pass time. poverty line, therefore, in order to attract the attention Students shall receive sex education in familiar class groupings of this social stratum, alternate methods of education and the teacher shall minimize disruption and eliminate hurtful must be approached. Film screenings and visual media humour while maintaining a light hearted and approachable showing the intensity of STDs and life taking diseases manner. While communicating sex education, the boys and girls could be a few suggestions. Apart from that, free health shall be divided into two groups and the lady teachers shall teach camps that supply condoms and regular health checkups girls and male teachers shall teach boys, therefore students will for the underprivileged, shall be set up.Many NGOs like freely clarify their doubts and queries as well. Further these lessons Grassrooted Trust have introduced training programs on shall take place over sufficient time to cover necessary topics Sex education and they shall be encouraged and the and skills. Parents especially mothers appear to be a valuable schools shall cooperate with them to give the desired result. resource and need to be active participants in any programmes

What Can be Provided by the Proposed Sex Education Centre?

Presentations to improve the public awareness on the importance of proper reproductive health education to adolescents.

Special programmes for parents on how to Diploma programmes on Human Reproductive work with their adolescent children and solve Health and Related Issues for after GCE O/Ls their problems. students. Providing Counselling and Information on Training programmes for Government teachers reproductive health related issues using who teach Human Reproductive Health and information technology tools. Related Issues at government schools. Resource Centre for anyone who is interested Special training programmes for private in learning Human Reproductive Health and Related Issues. counsellors, teachers, medical doctors etc. Monthly programmes on Human Reproductive Health and Related Issues at school including special programmes for after O/L and A/L students as its a vulnerable phase for students.