TEENAGE PREGNANCY

Mdm Claire Chiang See Ngoh asked the Minister for Education what progress has been made in addressing the issue of rising teenage pregnancy and what kind of programmes will be adopted in our school system to enhance sex education among our young girls and boys.

RAdm Teo Chee Hean: According to the Ministry of Health, the number of pregnancies among teenagers, defined as those under 20 years of age, has been declining over the last few years. From a total of 2,473 in 1992, the figure fell to 2,091 in 1995. It went up to 2,185 in 1996.

Preventive action against teenage pregnancy is a shared responsibility between the teenager, the parents and the school. The Ministry has set up a committee under the Senior Minister of State Dr Aline Wong to look into the discipline of female pupils. One of the issues that the committee will address is how schools can help teenage pupils avoid this problem, as well as help those who are in that situation cope with it.

In our schools, sex education is not taught as a subject on its own. Our schools adopt a cross-curricular approach to sex education which enables them to teach various aspects of the topic according to the maturity of the pupils. In the primary schools, it is taught in Health Education, with the objective of preparing pupils for puberty and early adolescence. In the secondary schools, it is taught in Science and Civics and Moral Education.

The relevant topics in the Science syllabus include sexual reproduction, birth control, as well as the personal and social consequences of premarital sex, abortion, and sexually transmitted diseases and AIDs.

Responsible behaviour and moral values in boy-girl relationships are further reinforced in Civics and Moral Education. The Committee on Discipline of Female Pupils will take a closer look at how sex education in our schools can be delivered more effectively for teenage pupils.