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Strong Partnerships Between Schools and Parents Important in Sexuality Education

Published Date: 18 September 2021 09:00 AM

News Forum Letter Replies

《家校紧密合作对性教育至关重要》

罗晓霞女士在九月十三日的社论《儿童性教育该从几岁开始?》中提出:教导幼童讨论和处理性相关话题的知识和技能至关重要,在数码时代尤甚。我们所见大同。

家长是孩子的第一位老师,并将伴随他们走过整个成长期,因此,他们扮演的角色至关重要。教育部和学校会和家长们紧密合作,并给予这方面的支援。与此同时,我们的家长支援小组以及社区与家长辅助学校理事会("罗盘")也进一步巩固与家长的合作关系。学校为家长们提供相关资料,如讨论性教育课题的指引,这些资料也能在综合保健信息系统中(HealthHub)获取。此外,家长也可以主动和校方及老师们分享他们所关心的孩子成长相关的问题。

学生在学校将根据适合自身年龄的进度,接触适当的性教育课题。早在学前教育阶段,年幼的孩童就开始学习有关保护自己身体的相关知识。为四至六岁孩童编制的《培育幼儿:新加坡幼儿园课程框架》,致力于帮助幼童养成好习惯,以及教导幼童在家中、校园和公共场所如何自我保护的安全意识。

在学校,性教育的落点是多样化的。学校通过科学与生物课,品格与公民教育课,级任老师辅导课,以及各种校内活动,落实性教育。

通过品格与公民教育课程,学生能学到有关个人安全的知识。 这包括在网络世界与他人互动时,如何确保自身的安全。在小学,低年级的学生会学习分辨不同程度的肢体接触的适当性、学习如何保护自己免受性侵和性虐待、学习如何在浏览网络信息时保障自身的安全与权益、辨识在网上与陌生人聊天的风险。

从小学五年级开始,学生会学习如何处理成长过程中所面对的身体及情绪的变化,处理生理健康和行为方面的问题,以及如何与他人建立健康和相互尊重的关系。

高年级学生(中学\初级学院\高级中学)的性教育课程涉及更为复杂的问题,例如学习如何应对同侪间的影响、辨识网上性诱导和约会暴力的潜在危险、以及了解媒体对塑造性行为和性别刻板印象的影响。

随着社会的演变与发展,学生所需的性教育知识也会随之而改变。因此教育部也定期检讨性教育课程内容,以确保课程的内容和形式能符合学生的需求。例如,2021年修订的品格与公民教育课程的性教育课题,重点就放在个人价值观、网络安全知识、以及线上线下尊重个人及他人之间的界限的重要性等课题。学生们也学习如何辨识如网上性诱导、网络暴露、偷窥与虐待等不良行为,并了解这些行为所带来的社交情感上的影响和法律后果。

所有学校的性教育课程都是由受过相关培训的教师传授的,懂得在照顾学生感受的前提下,进行敏感课题的讨论。教师会营造一个安全的氛围,让学生能够坦诚分享自己的想法,促进针对性相关课题不同观点的讨论。

我们鼓励家长在学校打下的基础上,进一步引导孩子在这方面的学习。我们也将继续与家长们合作,为家长与孩子建立良好亲子关系、给孩子们灌输价值观和提供指导方面予以支持。

黄静琪 女士
新加坡教育部 - 学生发展课程司统筹司长


We agree with Ms Luo Xiaoxia that it is important to equip young children with the knowledge and skills to discuss and manage sexuality matters, especially in the digital age ("At what age should sexuality education for children begin?", 13 Sep).

Parents are the first and constant teachers in their child's life. MOE and our schools work in close partnership with parents to support them in this area while our Parent Support Groups and the COMmunity and PArents In Support of Schools (COMPASS) Council also play a role in strengthening this partnership with parents. Schools provide parents with resources such as parenting guides on conversations about sexuality, which can also be found on HealthHub. Parents can also share their concerns regarding their children's development with their schools and teachers.

In school, children learn about Sexuality Education in an age-appropriate manner. As early as in preschool, children learn about body safety practices. The Nurturing Early Learners (NEL) Framework developed for children aged 4 to 6 years includes helping them develop healthy habits and safety awareness with respect to self and others at home, in school and at public places.

Sexuality education is delivered at various touchpoints in school, including Science and Biology, Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) lessons, Form Teacher Guidance Period and other school-based programmes.

As part of Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) lessons, students learn about personal safety, including staying safe in online interactions. At the lower primary level, students learn about when a touch is good or bad, how to protect themselves from sexual exploitation and abuse, how they can stay safe when navigating cyber space and to recognise the dangers of chatting with online strangers.

From Primary 5, students learn about managing physical and emotional changes when growing up, dealing with issues in sexual health and behaviours, as well as how they can build healthy and respectful relationships.

Older students at the secondary and junior college level learn about more complex issues like managing peer influence, being aware of the dangers of online sexual grooming and dating violence, as well as the influence of media on sexuality and gender stereotypes.

We review our sexuality education curriculum regularly to ensure its relevance and responsiveness to the changing needs of students as society evolves. As part of the updated CCE 2021 curriculum, we are placing greater emphasis on values, cyber wellness and the importance of respecting boundaries for self and others both online and offline. Students are taught to recognise inappropriate behavior, online sexual grooming, cyber flashing, voyeurism and abuse, and to understand the social-emotional and legal consequences of these behaviours.

Ms Luo may be assured to know that teachers who conduct sexuality education in every school are specially selected and trained. These teachers are trained to facilitate discussions on sexuality matters with sensitivity, and to create safe spaces for students to have honest conversations facilitating multiple perspectives on these issues.

We encourage parents to build on what their children learn in school. We will continue to partner them in their journey to build close relationships, impart values, and provide guidance to their children.

Mdm Ng Chen Kee
Divisional Director, Student Development Curriculum Division
Ministry of Education