SEXUALITY EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS

Dr Mohamad Maliki bin Osman asked the Acting Minister for Education whether the incidence of pregnancies and abortions among school-going teenage girls are on the rise and whether his Ministry is evaluating the effectiveness of the current sexuality education implemented in schools to address the issue.

Mr Low Thia Khiang (Hougang): Sir, may I ask a supplementary question on Question 8?

Mr Speaker: I have already called for the next Question, Mr Low. Mr Shanmugaratnam.

Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam: Sir, the incidence of teenage pregnancy and abortion among school-going teenage girls is not rising. The number has, in fact, fallen slightly over the last three years for all females aged 17 and below, and remained fairly constant for those aged 18-19.

The sexuality education provided in our schools aims to provide pupils with essential knowledge about sexuality matters, including consequences of teenage sexual activity, pregnancy and abortion. It equips them with the skills to make informed and responsible choices on sexuality matters. It also challenges teenagers to re-examine their values and attitudes on issues and persuade them to adopt a more value-based standard.

Sexuality education in schools should help, but will not be a panacea. There are many factors involved in teenage pregnancy and abortion. They include a lack of family support and cohesiveness, sexual abuse and a lack of understanding of responsibilities in relationships. It is a complex issue.

It is early days to assess the impact of the sexuality education programme. But teachers have reported that our pupils have responded well. Pupils' responses to pre- and post-programme questionnaires indicate significant increase in their understanding of sexuality matters, including the negative consequences of teenage sexual activity.

We are also getting good support from our parents. Although parents have the choice to opt their children out of the sexuality education programme, the opt-out rate is less than 1%. We will continue to monitor the overall impact of the programme on pupils' sexual values and attitudes, which will take longer to ascertain.

Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman: Sir, I just wonder whether the sexuality education programme in the Ministry of Education includes information on the avenues that the girls can go to should they end up being pregnant.

Secondly, are schools equipped to deal with such pregnancy situations, ie, if a girl gets pregnant and goes to the teacher, what does the teacher do? What kind of advice does the teacher give, and what happens to the girl? Is she allowed to continue schooling? If she wants to carry the pregnancy to full term, what are the avenues for such a person?

Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam: First, I should say that the teachers who are involved in teaching sexuality education are specially chosen and specially trained, and they are backed up by a cross-disciplinary team, including Ministry of Education guidance specialists, psychologists, medical and even legal professionals. Obviously, when it comes to a case of actual pregnancy, it is something which requires very specific counselling, and we do refer our students to counsellors who are trained for the purpose.