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Teaching ABCs of the birds and the bees
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SEX education has long been a rather taboo subject in China, but that hasn’t stopped youngsters asking that eternal question: where do I come from?
This month, an online course on sex and gender differences, called “Boys and Girls,” is being offered on an elective basis in Shanghai primary schools for students in grades four and five. Screened on a computer, it was developed by the Shanghai Educational Technology Center.
“We hope that courses tailored for students of a particular age will help answer some of the questions they have growing up and help prepare them to handle sex issues,” said Pan Lifang, vice president of center.
Cindy Cai, 10, sits at a computer showing cartoon images of a boy and a girl. She is asked to identify their private parts. A bell rings when she gets an answer right. An “uh-oh” is voiced if she chooses wrong.
“It’s easy,” she said. “And it’s fun.”
She is one of the 1,490 students who were enrolled in the course in its first two weeks.
The course has four parts: birth, the physical development of girls, the physical development of boys and self-protection. Some 351 pupils have already completed all four parts. Most popular is the segment called “The Birth of Life.”
In the past, the absence of sex education in Chinese schools provoked public debate whenever issues like child sex abuse and teenage pregnancies came to the fore. Educators and parents couldn’t decide what level of sex education should be given to help children without triggering undue interest on their part.
“Avoiding the topic won’t prevent the children from searching for answers themselves,” said Xu Jing, vice president of the Affiliated Primary School of University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, which helped produce a school-version of “Boys and Girls.” “Rather than leaving them lost in an abundance of unscreened information, it may be a wiser choice to offer them the correct information in an appropriate way.”
The course was first trialed at the primary school affiliated to the university, and then later expanded to 18 primary and middle schools in the Yangpu District, beginning in 2011.
The online version launched recently is an adaptation for independent-study open to more students in Shanghai.
“‘Where do I come from?’ is a natural question that will always be asked by children at a certain age,” said Xu. “Clichéd answers, like ‘you were found in a trash can,’ do more harm than good.”
The course starts with an introduction on the birth of plants, animals and humans, showing how it is all part of nature. On the more sensitive subject of fertilization, the course uses a fairy tale of a “sperm boy” marrying an “egg princess” after winning a swimming competition full of obstacles. It also uses letters from parents recalling the thrilling moment when their children were born to show reproduction as monument to love.
The course also covers issues such as what to do when facing potential sexual abuse.
“We don’t want it to be simple sex education focusing on biological features, but rather a comprehensive course that also helps children with psychological and ethical issues,” said Xu.
Appropriate wording is crucial in safe sex education, according to Wu Zengjiang, director of Shanghai Student Psychological Health Education Development Center.
“We should give them scientific information, but not necessarily too many details too early, lest they arouse fears or unnecessary interest,” said Wu. “Particular lines are still needed to ensure minimum side effects from sex education.”
A test textbook for sex education among Beijing primary students that was released in 2011 stirred heated discussion — mostly criticism — for its overly vivid descriptions of sex. The book was later scrapped. The course developed for the Affiliated Primary School of USST also drew frowns when it was trialed, but the course survived and went on to be well received.
Parents, however, still have their reservations about whether such lessons are suitable for young children, Xu admitted. But opposition is abating. A survey of parents toward the course in 2006 found 87 percent of them satisfied and 13 percent of them still harboring reservations. However, there were none saying they were “dissatisfied.”
Cindy Cai’s mother said she thinks it’s necessary in today’s society to teach children about sex.
“As long as the coursework doesn’t cross the line too much,” she added.
Educators don’t think she has much to worry about.
“We haven’t heard of any cases where student interest in sex was overly aroused by the course,” Xu said. “Children absorb the knowledge just like in any other course.”
Educators say the course is one thing, but participation from parents remains vital.
“Parents are the natural first teachers of their own children in gender issues,” said psychologist Wu.
Parents are source of children’s first impressions about gender differences, and they are the ones to whom young children first turn when they have questions.
“Appropriate and timely answers from parents will help children establish healthy gender consciousness and identification,” said Xu.
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