education Sex Education in the Philippines

[BlueEyes]

Okay, I'll admit that I'm not the one to say that the RP's Constitution seems a bit f#&ked up, but there it is. I was reading the Star today and one of the editorialist (I think his last name was Sison) had a peice about the fact that Sex Ed can't really be taught here because there is a Constitutional provision that negates it. After I did the proverbial head shake and WTF?, I read the rest of the piece. Apparently, there is a clause somewhere that says that formal education is secondary to the teachings of parents and guardians. Attempts to institute a formal sex ed class country wide was met with contempt at the thought of wasting tax money on something that must be taught at home. (Right, Mom and Dad have nine kids...they are definetky the ones Junior should be listening to.) Many private schools skirt the issue under the pretext of religion or provide abooklet for Mom and Dad to share with the spawn. That must be a comfortable dinner chat.

 

Seriously, who can shed some light on this mystifying use of legalese? If this is true, is there a more important reason to rewrite the Constitution? We already have more mouths than we can feed and abuse the land with consumables and waste for the nearly ninety million who call this beautiful land home. Condoms are not the answer if Junior doesn't know what it's for.

[overman]

meron ba nyan dito?

[the_mack]

If im gonna be a parent..

 

its ok for my kids to have sex ed at school..

 

wag lang bibigyan ng assignment. LOL

[Headroom]

Sex Education should be mandatory at schools here.

 

As for the clause in the constitution - I haven't heard of that but it wouldn't surprise me given how relatively recently it was written and how at the time Cardinal Sin was playing politics.

[robbietan]

sex ed is incorporated with the health subject taught in high schools, public and private. you cant really teach overall health if you leave out a vital topic.

 

as far as i know, what was being debated were should sex ed be a single subject? and should it be taught at the primary grade level?

 

single subject, no, as IMHO it would be a waste of time. primary grade level - no, as the teachers in the public schools are very compliant with what the present mayor wants schools to teach. if the mayor is 'pro life', chances are a nun would teach it (yeah right). if the mayor is not 'pro life', chances are he will not be re-elected. erferferf

[Blue2You]

"The State shall defend:

 

The right of families or family associations to participate in the planning and implementation of policies and programs that affect them." (Art. XV, Sec. 3) "

 

This is the hook that allows the Church to prevent sexual eduaction from being taught properly in public schools and in many parochial ones. They contend that it is better to have the family teach this than the school. The sex ed curriculum was scrapped recently because there were so many objections to the people who developed it...the Church wanted it to be less physical and focus more on abstinence, choice and sin. They wanted any mention of contraception to be omitted and to stress the rhythm method. Finally, they wanted the final version to be approved by their team of 'sexperts' first. That is unbelievable.

[Justin Nicholas]

As long as teaching Sex Ed would all fall in the right time and right place.

It's meant for sensible education, not something like a laughing stock.

[AmBlue]

What is the right time? Where is the right place?

 

Filipinas are having babies when they are eleven and twelve. Get the message out early and powerfully.

[Headroom]

So much for separation of Church and State.....

[skitz]

Priests and nuns should STOP TEACHING beyond their field of expertise -- SEX!

 

I studied elementary in a private catholic schoof for boys. No sex ed there. I high schooled in a public school. There I got sex-ed as part of BIOLOGY class. Which is ok. No moral issues, just cold scientific facts. STDs, STIs, cures (or non-cures), pregnancy, etc. were discussed. No one got pregnant in our high school. Although, college was a different story for some of my batchmates.

[6gawd]

i went to a catholic school, my classmates decided to ask the bio teacher on our 2nd year HS about sex ed, she obliged, once she started getting into the terms, the kids started giggling, she promptly stopped and said the we are not mature enough yet and just ask our parents when we get older....

[cereal.killer.]

Is this event existent in our country's educational system? :upside:

 

The only time I remember ever discussing about safe sex in school was with my classmates and the hotly debated topic then about what flavor of condoms to use! :boo:

[1800donttry]

Apparently, there is a clause somewhere that says that formal education is secondary to the teachings of parents and guardians.

Yet they teach you how to freaking wash specific kinds of stains on your clothes in the 4th grade. You'd think that home ec stuff should primarily be taught to kids by their parents but of course this clause doesn't apply to that.

 

I've been taught sex ed since the 5th grade. We were taught everything from the biology of it, what you might go through mentally and emotionally if and when you decide to become sexually active, what different forms of contraceptions are available to you, how to use a condom, what STDs you should watch out for, etc. They always begin a lesson by saying that if we want to be sure that we won't get STDs and that we won't get pregnant, abstinence is the best way to go. Then, they talk about OTHER ways to protect yourself IF you decide to have sex.

 

Not discussing sex with kids is not going to stop them from doing it. Talking about it won't cause people who weren't planning on doing it to suddenly decide to give it a try. There's no data to support the claim that condoning teen sex (by recognizing that it could happen) makes it more prevalent BUT there has been data that shows that increased sex ed can cause a significant lowering of the number of unwanted pregnancies.

Edited February 19, 2008 by 1800donttry

[wynona_20fqc]

ok ito para umonti yung mga batang nabubuntis..

[roughashlar]

It should be taught. The Catholic Church (or any denomination or sect for that matter) should not be a hindrance.