Pro-Life Philippines: Sex education not for primary, secondary schools

MANILA, Philippines - Pro-life Philippines Foundation, Inc. is deeply saddened and extremely concerned of the decision of the Department of Education (DepEd) to integrate in our primary and secondary educational system a course on sex education.

From what we read, a novel academic campaign featuring videos and sessions encouraging the use of contraceptives and showing situations involving decision-making over committing sexual intercourse is being pilot tested in less than 30 public schools nationwide among students as young as 11.

In fairness to DepEd, we acknowledge their effort to implement a measure to stop the spread of STIs and STDs and to lower down teen pregnancy rates in the country. We also appreciate the fact that in the said campaign, abstinence and delaying sexual intercourse are well-stressed. But then again, the rest of their efforts need careful scrutiny and adamant criticism.

Sex education doesn’t belong in schools to begin with. It makes sex and sexuality, which are by their very nature private and intimate, public and open. All education is an activity which is essentially public, but because matters of sex are private and intimate (and pertain fundamentally to the family), the teaching of sex cannot be accomplished in the classroom without violating that privacy and intimacy.

Add up to that, implementing sex education could actually send the wrong signals to our children. A clear example would be the instruction on contraceptives. If we teach children to use condoms, we tell them in effect that it is all right to have sex thus they gain a false assurance in a situation where they themselves should not be trying out at an early age. 

We should therefore not be surprised that many children become promiscuous and thereby conceive children while they are still children themselves, or that they contract STDs. In the first place, should they be acquainting themselves with contraceptives at their young age?

We also don’t see the requirement for sex education to be singled out. We affirm that doing so would be redundant. Aspects of education on sexuality are incorporated into various types of programs, sometimes called family life skills or family life education in many developing countries. See, if sex education is about the anatomy of the reproductive system, sophomores take up Biology and elementary students get a basic glimpse in their Science and Health subjects. If sex education is about personal hygiene, don’t we learn that from our Good Manners and Right Conduct subject? And if sex education is about chastity and delayed gratification, aren’t those handled already by Values Education teachers?

Another obstacle with pushing through with the program is its facilitators. Basing from complaints we receive from our members, teachers do not get trained, so they ignore the curriculum or do not know how to deal with it. Apparently, there is much discomfort among teachers in talking about subjects that were taboo when they grew up. So how can we make this program successful when the ones who will execute them are unprepared and unmotivated?

As for the recipients of this program, we believe there is a need to contest the readiness and the maturity of grade-school and high school students on the sensitive topics involving their sexuality. We suppose they are too young to be exposed in ideas and scenarios they are not even meant to experience yet. If ever necessary, college students should be the ones getting this kind of attention. Yes, knowledge is power but if they are given to the wrong hands, it could be detrimental.

We firmly deem that younger teenagers should best receive instructions from their parents or from a mature guardian. Parents have both the primary right and duty to teach their children the morality of human sexuality. Although schools have the right and duty to assist parents in this undertaking, sexual morality must not be imparted in a group setting while this moral education must conform to the tradition and teaching of religion and culture.

Springing from these arguments is our belief that DepEd should reconsider redirecting their vision. We suggest that they become more consistent with their vision and that is to “assist the Filipino child to discover his/her full potential in a child-centered and value-driven teaching-learning environment.”