EDUCATION MINISTRY WILLING TO STUDY SEX EDUCATION PROPOSAL - DPM

PUTRAJAYA, Aug 5 (Bernama) -- The Education Ministry is willing to study the
proposal to include the Reproductive Health and Social Edcuation Progamme (PKRS)
in the school curriculum or even as a core learning subject, said Deputy Prime
Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

Muhyiddin, who is also Education Minister, said a technical committee comprising
officers from the Education Ministry, Women, Family and Community Development
Ministry as well as experts on social problems would study the proposal in
detail before a decision was reached.

He said a pioneer PKRS programme was already being implemented in five secondary
schools in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Penang, Kelantan and Pahang whereby it was
part of the schools' co-curriculum.

"Whether this status (co-curriculum) will be maintained or it (PKRS) will be
absorbed into the existing academic curriculum, for example in biology or
science subjects, we have to make an evaluation.

"At this early stage, we are as yet unable to arrive at the best decision," he
told reporters after receiving a RM50 million (US$15.8 million) allocation on
behalf of the Education Ministry from the Women, Family and Community
Development Ministry, here Wednesday.

Also present was Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat
Abdul Jalil.

Muhyiddin said various factors had to be considered before making a decision on
including PKRS in the school edcuation system, including the background of the
students themselves who consisted of various races and religions and a lack of
textbooks on the subject.

Besides this, he said teachers responsible for the programme would also have to
be trained first in order to teach it effectively.

Meanwhile, Shahrizat said her ministry made the proposal to have PKRS included
in the education system after taking into consideration social issues related to
sexual behaviour of teens which was becoming increasingly worrying.

She said PKRS was aimed at increasing students' knowledge on reproductive health
and imbuing a positive attitude towards the matter.

"What is happening, there has been an increase in cases of sexual violence and
as a result, girls getting pregnant out of wedlock, baby dumping and other
social problems.

"Based on the research reports we have received, one of the reasons is that our
teenagers lack indepth knowledge on reproductive health issues," she said,
adding that her ministry wanted each and every teenager to be taught the subject
rather than they learn about it from unsavoury websites.
-- BERNAMA