PETALING JAYA, May 11 — The lack of comprehensive sex education in schools may be the reason behind a boom in sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including HIV/AIDS among young adults in the country.
Deputy Education Minister Datuk P. Kamalanathan said a comprehensive study may be needed to show the potential link between sex education and the high increase of cases.
“We have a certain degree of sex education being taught in schools whereby students learn about their body and biological facet of child-making in Form Three science classes,” he said.
“Also, they are taught in Moral Studies lesson in higher primary and upper secondary on the concept of marriage and to avoid engaging in pre-marital sex.”
He said the lessons were designed toward abstaining from sex before marriage.
Kamalanathan said this when asked to comment on the Health Ministry’s push to have sex education in schools to curb the rise of HIV cases due to sexual transmission.
“Parents and religion also play an important role to teach youths to abstain from sex. Parents need to take up the mantle to educate their children and to have a strong religious foundation which would curb their children from being sexually active,” he said.
He said more safe sex awareness programmes were needed in colleges and universities.
It was reported in March Deputy Education Minister Chong Sin Woon said there were no plans to have sex education as a subject in schools.
He said sex education was already included in topics in other subjects.
