MALAYSIAN TEACHERS SAY 'NO' TO SEX

By Sajad Hussein

KUALA LUMPUR, March 2 (Bernama) -- Malaysian teachers are saying 'no' to
sex. They are not ready to impart sex education in schools.

They lack professional training in teaching the subject, National Union of
Teaching Profession (NUTP) secretary-general Lok Yim Pheng said Tuesday.

She said, while the union fully supported the government's move to provide
sex education in schools, "sadly, the teachers lack formal training in the
complexity and sensitivity of the subject and are not confident to teach it".

Lok told Bernama the teachers were afraid they might be sued by the parents
"if they were to make mistakes in imparting the knowledge of sex to the pupils."

Malaysia is a multi-racial, religious and cultural nation with each ethnic
group having its own notion on the subject, which made the teaching more
challenging, she noted.

The NUTP is the country's biggest teachers union representing 160,000
teachers, which is approximately half the teaching profession.

Lok said the union wanted the education ministry to first discuss with the
stakeholders on the pros and cons of the move before making a firm decision.

Currently, the subject was taught in "bits and pieces" from the primary
level to secondary level, in the absence of a proper structured course.

Of late, sex education has become a very important issue in the country,
with an increasing number of unwed mothers, many of them students.

Meanwhile, a Bernama survey among students, parents and teachers showed that
all groups were in favour of sex education but were unsure of the form and
content of the course.

Teenage student Jayaraman said he was all for it, but was unsure what and
how the teachers were going to teach because "we have more girls than boys in
our class and most of our teachers are female."

Abdul Raof Bidin, 38, who has two school-going children, felt that it was
necessary to teach the subject.

"It should be handled with care as it could easily be misconstrued and do
more harm than good, if wrongly imparted," he said.

Another parent, M. Arumugam, 44, believed it was better for medical
professionals like doctors and nurses to impart the subject to students.

"Maybe, the education ministry should consult the health ministry and come
up with some kind of arrangement for teachers to be provided with on-the-job
training," he reasoned.

Betty Lee, who has 24 years teaching experience, felt that the subject was
best handled by "teachers who themselves are mothers and know how to handle such
a complex subject.

"With due respect, not all teachers can teach the subject, and the ministry
should be very careful in selecting the right candidate for the job," added the
50-year-old.
-- BERNAMA