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SINGAPORE: The Education Ministry will tighten controls on sexuality education programmes run by external agencies. Materials of these agencies will now be vetted and some of it will be put online so parents know what's being taught in schools.
Eight per cent of teenagers aged 14 to 19 years old are sexually active, and less than a quarter of them are using any protection, according to a survey done by the Health Promotion Board and Education Ministry in 2006 involving some 4,000 students.
Hence it's no surprise that sexually transmitted infections among Singaporean teens are on the rise, with 787 cases reported last year, 2.5 times higher than six years ago.
Each year, there are about 2,000 teenage pregnancies. The rate in Singapore may be lower than the UK, where teenage pregnancies is five times more. But it is still a cause for concern.
Sexuality education is currently implemented in all schools. But over and above this, two-thirds of schools have also hired external agencies to complement the school programmes.
Education Minister Ng Eng Hen said: "Our teachers are trained up to a level in terms of being able to deliver the sexuality education programme. They are teachers, they are not specially trained professionals for this task. So we have the help of counsellors, allied educators as well as these external agencies."
Two weeks ago, the programmes run by these agencies were suspended, following complaints that the teaching materials in the programme run by the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE) were inappropriate. For example, homosexuality is seen as neutral in AWARE's instructor guide.
Following complaints from parents, the Education Ministry conducted an investigation into AWARE's programme.
Dr Ng added: "Our conclusion was, in general, the guidelines were adhered to. There were not serious deviations from there. But in response to this situation, we wanted to give added assurance to parents and the community so we have instituted these new guidelines."
Previously schools had the autonomy to engage external agencies. Now these agencies must be approved by the Education Ministry. The agencies must submit their materials to the Education Ministry for vetting this June and the vetting process will be tightened.
Subsequently, the ministry will also be auditing the programmes that these agencies deliver in schools.
Dr Ng said the programmes must reflect mainstream values, which means encouraging heterosexual married couples to have healthy relationships.
Abstinence is the key message, but information on contraception must also be included.
Homosexual teens who approach their teachers for help will be told that homosexual act is against the law, though the government has stated that homosexuals have their private space. Teachers and counsellors will also involve the teens' parents in providing guidance.
Parents will be given more details on the sexuality education programme conducted in schools, with information posted on the websites of the ministry and schools by August.
Dr Ng stressed that the programme in schools must remain secular and schools cannot become proxy battlegrounds for groups with contending ideologies.
He explained: "What we must stringently and strictly avoid is allowing our school to go the way in some other countries, for example United States, where different groups with different views try to square off and settle their arguments in schools. If we allow this to happen, our school and education system will be casualties and will be worse off.
"Parents can choose to opt their children out of the programmes being offered based on their own beliefs."
So far, less than one per cent of parents have done so.
MOE said it will not be able to use AWARE to run sexuality education programme in schools until it has gained the public's trust for its sexuality programmes.
The ministry said that for the programmes to be delivered effectively, parents and the ministry must be able to trust that external agencies teach according to values which the mainstream society believes in.
The ministry is also revising the current sexuality education curriculum to make sure it is up to date.
A Steering Committee, comprising doctors and educationists, will advise on the changes. It will be chaired by director of Education Ho Peng and parents will be asked to give feedback.
MOE will also train more teachers to deliver sexuality education in schools. - CNA/vm
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