MOE Sexuality Education: Overview

In MOE Sexuality Education, children and youth learn about the physical, emotional, social and ethical dimensions of human sexuality in primary schools, secondary schools, junior colleges and Millennia Institute.

Learn more about the MOE Sexuality Education and how parents can support their children in this area of their growth and development.

What is Sexuality Education?

Sexuality Education is about helping our students to gain skills and knowledge, and form attitudes, beliefs and values regarding human sexuality.

MOE Sexuality Education covers the following areas:

• Physical: Understanding physical changes during the life course of sexual maturity.
• Emotional: Understanding sexual attitudes and feelings towards self and others.
• Social: Understanding sexual norms and behaviour, and the legal, cultural and societal implications.
• Ethical: Understanding moral values and decision-making processes related to human sexuality.

The teaching of MOE Sexuality Education is anchored on mainstream national values and is sensitive to the multi-racial and multi-religious society of Singapore. Refer to Scope and Teaching Approach for more details.

Why have Sexuality Education in school?

Our children are growing up with a wide range of influences through the media and the internet. MOE Sexuality Education aims to:

• Support children and youth in managing their physiological, social and emotional changes as they grow up and develop safe and healthy relationships.
• Guide children and youth to make wise, informed and responsible decisions on sexuality matters.
• Help children and youth develop a moral compass and a sense of healthy respect for themselves and others by having positive values and attitudes about sexuality that are premised on the Family as the basic unit of our society.

How is MOE Sexuality Education delivered?

MOE Sexuality Education is a combined effort which begins at home with parents, continues in schools with teachers, and is supplemented by community efforts.

The 6 guiding principles of MOE’s Sexuality Education are:

• Parents play the primary role in educating their children and are responsible for teaching and transmitting positive values on sex and sexuality.
• Our educators will impart knowledge, skills and values that reflect Singapore's mainstream society so that children and youth will make informed and responsible decisions on sexuality matters.
• Aligned with our national mainstream values of encouraging heterosexual married couples to have healthy relationships, and to build stable nuclear family units with extended family support.
• Only specially-selected and trained teachers will teach MOE Sexuality Education in our schools.
• Students and teachers are to respect the different attitudes, values and beliefs that different communities in our society may have.
• Relevant community resources that are aligned and approved by MOE may be used to supplement schools' programmes.