Around the world, countries are having the debate about whether or not sex education should be left in the home with the parents or if schools should step up and help educate the young about everything from sexual parts to risky sexual behaviors. One country stirring up this controversial debate is a European country known for being quite prudish about sexual topics: England.
According to recent statistics, England is one of the leading countries with teen pregnancies in all of Europe. In fact, in 2006 alone, close to 40,000 teenaged girls between the ages of 15 and 17 were pregnant, while over 7,000 teenage girls under the age of 14 also became pregnant that year. Because of this the English government has decided that sex education should be implemented in the curriculum throughout the British school system, from kindergarten through high school. Jim Knight, the Schools Minister stated, “It’s vital that this information doesn’t come from playground rumor of the mixed messages from the media about sex.” Many wonder if sex education should even be a part of the curriculum of a kindergartener. Knight continues, “We are not talking about 5-year-old kids being taught sex. What we’re talking about for key stage 1 (ages 5-7) is children knowing about themselves, their differences, their friendships and how to manage their feelings.” Thus, these younger children will be learning about parts of the body and getting prepped for feelings they may have when they reach puberty. In short, Knight continues, these children will be learning about self-awareness.
As the child advances through the school system, the sex education lessons will become less generalized and more specific. The curriculum is still being debated by the government but it has been agreed that the schools will be responsible for developing lesson plans that deal with important sexual topics like contraceptive use and relationships. As might be expected, some parents are in an uproar about the government’s decision to introduce these lessons at younger ages. One mother of two young boys, Elizabeth Talbot, states, “I am not the parent who calls her son’s penis a wee-wee. But I should decide if the word penis enters my child’s vocabulary at 5 or not.”
One recommendation by the government is that children who are advancing to secondary school (around the age of 11) should be introduced to the concepts of respect within relationships and sexual behaviors that may be deemed risky because of the possibility of pregnancy and spreading sexually transmitted diseases. Gill Frances who helped develop this new sexual education policy states, “Everybody has sex at some point or other in their lives…(but) we’re not willing to prepare them.” Frances goes on to say that “Statutory (sex ed) is absolutely crucial in reducing teenage pregnancy, particularly for vulnerable young people, but all children and young people need equipping with the skills and knowledge to help manage their lives.” Another supporter of the curriculum, a mom of two children from London, says, “When parents fail to educate their kids properly, the government has every right to step in. Me, I welcome the help.”
译文:
英国的性教育
世界上各国对性教育是否应该留给父母在家中进行，或者学校是否应该加强教育帮助教育青少年从性部位到危险的性行为这一切知识存有争议。挑起这场有争议性的辩论的国家是以对性议题保守著称的欧洲国家：英国。
最近的统计表明，英国在欧洲国家中属于少女怀孕高发国之一。事实上，仅在2006年，接近40000个年龄在15到17岁的少女怀孕，期间有超过7000个年龄在14岁以下的少女在同一年怀孕。因此英国政府已决定性教育应该在整个英国教育系统的课程中执行，从幼儿园直到高中。教育部长吉姆 奈特指出：“这一消息并非是媒体针对性话题的错综报道传到校园操场上的谣言，这是至关重要的。”许多人不知道性教育是否更应该成为幼儿园课程中的一部分。奈特接着说：“我们谈论的不是要接受性知识的五岁的小孩。我们现在谈论的是关键阶段1（5-7岁），这是孩子们了解自我，他们之间的差异，他们的友谊及怎样管理自己的感情的时期。”因此，这些更年幼的孩子将会学习有关身体部位的知识，及为进入青春期会产生的情绪做好准备。总之，奈特还说，这些孩子将会懂得自我意识这一概念。
当孩子比教育系统超前时，性教育的课程就会不再显得笼统而是更具体化。对该课程政府仍存有争议，但学校将负责制定涉及重要性话题如避孕药的使用和性关系的课程计划已得到批准。正如预料中的一样，一些家长对在孩子年幼时开设性课程的政府决定一片哗然。一位两个孩子的母亲伊丽莎白 塔尔博特说：“我并不是叫自己儿子阴茎为撒尿的部位的母亲。但我应该决定阴茎这个词在五岁时是否在我孩子的意识中。”
由政府提出的一项建议是让升到中学的孩子（约11岁)应该知道两性关系和两性行为间的尊重的概念。因为存在怀孕和传播性疾病的可能性，性行为可能被认为是危险的。帮助开发者一新的教育政策的吉尔 弗朗西斯指出：“每个人在他们人生的某个阶段或其他期间会有性行为......（但）我们并不愿意为此做准备。”弗朗西斯接着说，“法定性教育在减少少女怀孕方面是绝对关键的，尤其是对易受伤害的年轻人，但所有的儿童和青年人都需要备有技能和之事来帮助自己管理自己的生活。”另一位该课程的支持者，来自伦敦的两个孩子的母亲说:“当父母亲不能正确地教育自己的孩子时，政府有权干涉进来。我，支持政府的帮助。”