Sex Education Should be Encouraged in Schools

 

Sex can be defined as a sexual activity between two or more people in which they touch each other’s body and sex organs. On the other hand, education is a process of training and instruction, especially of children and young people in schools, colleges etc which is designed to give knowledge and develop skills.

Sex education should be encouraged in schools starting from primary to tertiary level so as to enlighten the students on the issues regarding their sexual life. Naturally, when a child reaches the age of 10-13 (puberty stage), there is tendency that he/she bets attracted to the opposite sex. At this stage, it becomes imperative for the adolescents to be well informed about the inevitable changes that are bound to take place on their bodies. Sex education, therefore, equips one with all the basic information needed at this crucial stage of life.

Also, sex education creates room for an interaction session where the students can ask mind-blogging questions which their illiterate or ever busy parents may not be able to answer. By incorporating sex education in the school curriculum, teachers would have ample opportunity to digress issues that relates to sex abuse, lesbianism, homosexuality etc. so that our young ones would not be ignorant of the dire consequences of such acts.

Regrettably, It is well known fact that our children are being raped and abused sexually on daily basis. Most of the victims know little or nothing about sex and are therefore, often intimidated by perpetrators. Some of our children have been constantly abused by their relatives, drivers, and even domestic house helps in their homes. In most cases, perpetrators of these dastardly acts always go scot-free either because the victim is too scared to object or report to anybody after the deed has been done. 

If sex education is taught in schools even at the primary level, our children especially the females will be able avert such ugly incidence. For instance, if a girl child is made to understand that it is improper for any of her private part to be touched unnecessarily, she would have the courage to report such incidence to her parent or appropriate authority without any fear or intimidation.

Undoubtedly, teenagers are normally influenced by peer groups who misdirect and misinform them on sexual issues and take advantage of their youthful exuberance and inexperience. Sex education therefore, becomes an indispensable tool which should be used to promote chastity and morality especially in the lives of youths. In fact, the importance of sex education cannot be over-emphasized as ignorance like they say is a disease which must be attacked decisively. 

Some people believe that sex education promotes immorality, as the young ones will get to know all about sex early in life. But I want them to know that even if our young ones are not taught about sex in schools, there is every possibility that they will be misguided and misinformed by friends who know little or nothing about sex.  Moreover, the high rate of pornography in our contemporary society do not help matters at all as our children are faced with pornographic books, films and pictures often displayed on the internet on daily basis.

So, there is urgent need for our children to be enlightened through sex education on the dangers associated with pre-marital sex and issues of child abuse.

Miss Theresa Nnabude, Onward High School, Ikate, Surulere, Lagos State.