The Birds And The Bees

A perspective on the sex education program in Singapore. 

The Nanyang Chronicle 

Opinions: A Matter of Perspective - January 2012

My primary and secondary education took place in a reputable Indian school, which was known for its academic excellence. Yet, in all my years of primary and secondary education, only two hours were dedicated to sexual education, which was entirely based on abstinence. Those two hours have been the full extent of my formal sexual education.

When I first learned of the formal sexual education program in Singapore secondary schools, I thought of it as something incredibly positive, something the education system was doing right. However, on learning more about the state of sexual knowledge of Singaporean youth, it became apparent that simply having a sexual education program is not enough. In a survey conducted among young adults between 15 and 24 years old by Bayer Healthcare in 2011 in conjunction with World Contraception Day, it was found that 47% respondents in Singapore did not use contraception when having sex with a new partner. Out of the nine countries in the Asia-Pacific region that were part of this survey, Singapore had one of the highest rates. Given that the ages of most tertiary students lie between 18 and 25, these statistics can be considered to be a reflection of the sexual knowledge of tertiary students to quite an extent. Misinformation among Singaporean young adults with regards to contraception was also found to be prevalent with one in four believing in at least one common myth regarding contraception methods. You know a sexuality education program is lacking when a sizable number of youth and young adults believe in the spermicidal qualities of coca-cola!

Interestingly enough, although nearly all the youth surveyed in Singapore reported they had received formal sexual education, only 50% of the youth in India had access to such information. However, this vast difference in the amount of formal sexual education received was not reflected in the amount of information youth in Singapore and India have on contraception methods. Half of all Indian youth admitted to not being familiar with the various methods of contraception compared to 42% of the respondents from Singapore. Youth in both countries claimed to have knowledge of exactly 2.8 contraception methods. These statistics clearly demonstrate that the sexual education program in Singapore has not been successful in equipping youth with the practical knowledge on issues such as contraception. This is one area in which the sexual education program in Singapore has a lot of room for improvement.

Given that this recent survey and many others in preceding years have shown that Singapore youths are lacking in practical sexual knowledge, it is alarming that the Ministry of Education is considering changing the sexual education program to focus more on abstinence and less on contraception. Like most Asian countries, Singapore does have a more conservative culture compared to Western countries, which explains the focus on abstinence in sexual education. However, the cultural norms need to be balanced with contemporary practical needs. Based on the survey results mentioned above, it is apparent that Singaporean youth are lacking in knowledge on contraception methods. Given that Singapore fairs very well on statistics relating to the percentage of youth that receive formal sexual education, perhaps the focus should not be on increasing the amount of formal sexual education received. Emphasis should instead be placed on efforts to make the current sexual education program more relevant by providing information on practical issues such as contraception. The problem with the sexual education program in Singapore is one of quality, not quantity.