DepEd chief set to integrate sex education in RP’s basic curriculum

Against strong opposition from the Catholic Church, the newly appointed Education Secretary will integrate sex education in the country’s basic education curriculum. "I don’t see anything wrong with it. In fact, we are already teaching it to school children in subjects such as Science and Araling Panlipunan," Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Mona Valisno told reporters on Wednesday. "We will make it happen. We will continue with its implementation because we really need this. We will talk with the church and make them understand that it is a very important topic that our school children should learn," Valisno said. She added that her department is coordinating with the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) for the "soft" implementation of the campaign dubbed as "Power of You," which is aimed at teaching some 12,000 high school students sex-related diseases and unwanted pregnancies. Twenty-nine schools in the National Capital Region, Cebu, Zamboanga, Davao, Olongapo and Masbate have been targeted as the program’s pilot areas. "Teaching sex education in school is still better than letting students learn the topic from any sources, such as the Internet," Valisno added. She said that the sex education modules is designed to raise student awareness on the importance of abstinence and taking the right decision over consequences of sexual experience either by choice or due to pressure from peer group. Valisno said cases of sex-related diseases among the youth have hit alarming rate, stemming from lack of knowledge on the subject. Based on the 2003 Young Adult Fertility and Sexuality Survey (YAFSS), some 28 percent of young adults thought that Acquired Immune Deficiency Virus (AIDS) was curable, while 73 percent thought they were immune to HIV. The survey also showed that the overall prevalence of sexual activity increased from 18 to 23 percent between 1994 and 2002. “It is only proper that children be taught the issue especially with the rising incidents of premarital sex among the youth and teenage pregnancy. The country’s investment in education will only be put to waste if the population continued to grow at an outstanding rate," she said. Former Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz had accused Valisno and Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Esperanza Cabral of establishing a “destructive farewell" for the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo after the two officials openly expressed support for sex education among the youth. Cabral figured in a verbal clash with some Catholic bishops, who criticized her department’s giving away of free condoms during Valentine’s Day as part of DOH's efforts at informing the public about the rising HIV-AIDS cases in the country. The DOH is also pushing for a P400-million program for the purchase of condoms. — LBG,KBK, GMANews.TV