KUALA LUMPUR: Sex education or reproductive health and social education (PEERS) will be taught as a separate subject next year.
Deputy Education Minister Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi said it would be taught 40 minutes, twice monthly in secondary schools, and 30 minutes weekly in primary schools.
“PEERS had been implemented since 1989 in secondary schools and since 1994 in primary schools under physical education. This is done under transformation of the standard curriculum for primary schools,” he told a press conference in parliament lobby yesterday.
Dr Puad said the scope for level one in primary schools include physical difference between boys and girls, self hygiene, saying no to unsafe contact, importance of preserving self respect and emotional management.
Level two (year 4, 5 and 6) cover conflict management, physical change, puberty, reproductive system, skills in protecting self respect, risk of pre-marital sex, spread of sexual diseases and saying no to cigarette, alcohol and drug.
Lower secondary students would be exposed to psycho-social or lifeskills to handle risky situations, stress management, spread of sexual diseases, growth of secondary sexual traits, identity and sexual orientation, relationships and the adverse effects of alcohol, cigarettes and drugs.
“At higher secondary, the scope include psychosocial skills, emotional and mental stability, pregnancy among youths, family, spread of sexual diseases and efforts to control and preventive measures against cigarettes and drugs.”
Dr Puad said that knowledge in sex education comprised 75 percent of the subject’s new curriculum.
PEERS which had been decided by Cabinet in 2006 covers wider areas including values, attitude and lifelong process compared to sex education which had negative connotation among society. — Bernama