Why sex education is a MUST for future generations

Education Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya recently said that discussions are underway to introduce age-appropriate sex education to the school curriculum and that a health module has been included for Grade 6.

Sex education has been a taboo topic in Sri Lanka. But perverseness strangely is not. A man could simply expose his private parts and harass a foreigner,  and those who have been going to town against sex education are nowhere to be seen. But such incidents are enough proof to justify why this country needs comprehensive sex education. 

Every time the topic of sex education emerges, many influential people protest against the government. They talk about the cultural impact and complain about the fact that it doesn’t go by the norms of society. But in order to preserve a culture, there needs to be saner individuals. Youth such as the 23-year old man who was arrested for exposing his private parts to a foreigner perhaps may perceive what he did as a heroic act. There are enough cases of domestic violence, sexual abuse, paedophilia and other psychologically disturbing events which highlight the gap in awareness. These cases, where women become victims in a majority of cases indicate the level of people’s education to begin with.

But some also argue that sex education should be taught informally by parents, elders and even in schools without being included in the curriculum. Yet, even to be taught informally, the older generation needs to be aware of what it means to be harassed and abused, both physically and psychologically. With the largely patriarchal influence of the older generation, it is highly unlikely that children would be given a full picture of sex education,  and why it’s necessary to be aware of components such as good touch and bad touch, what their private parts are,how to reach out for help in case  something happens, how  parents and guardians could observe differences in children, how  a blind or differently-abled child or youth complain could about abuse or harassment and so on. 

From a psychological point of view, when a child becomes an adolescent, this period includes major biological and physical changes due to puberty and hormonal shifts. Adolescents experience more complex emotions, mood swings, and may feel confused or angry without understanding why. They also begin to develop higher-level cognitive skills and emotional maturity. This is a critical period for identity development, where teens explore different roles, values, and beliefs to form a sense of self. Parental support and active listening is crucial to allow them to explore their emotions and help them navigate through internal conflicts. Children between ages 3-6 may also develop various complexes as described by Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud in terms of psychosexual development. 

But if a child is confused about their emotions and is in conflict with his or her own emotions, they tend to stray as far as their psychological well-being is concerned. If parents don’t support children during this transition,  it weakens the parent-child relationship, leading to anxiety, depression, panic attacks and a weakening self-image. When parents don’t actively listen to their children and the child is often neglected and tries to control their behaviour, the child ultimately experiences trauma. 

Education Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya recently said that discussions are underway to introduce age-appropriate sex education to the school curriculum and that a health module has been included for Grade 6. However, in the Sri Lankan setting, psychological issues are taboo topics. It is only now that people are now opening up for counseling services and support, but this still happens in a hush-hush manner. 

As such, there’s a long way to go in terms of making people aware of why psychological health is important. It is even more important to make people aware of why sex education is important. As a country we need people who respect moral values and are disciplined in nature. People who would have the basic level of decency to allow women to travel safely at night. So without such decent behaviour, how could we really call this country a safe and must-visit destination?

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