Sex education — beneficial or disastrous?

Taupo Times, Volume 23, Issue 59, 25 July 1974, Page 4

Sex education — beneficial or disastrous?

f? Victorians swept the issue under the carpet. ^

• We will end up with children with no values at all. ^

Two Taupo men have expressed differing views on whether or not sex education should be taught in schools. The Taupo district probation officer, Mr T. Brown, believes that sex education in schools is long overdue. Mr J. W. Bull, chairman of the Hilltop P.T.A., remains unconvinced that

it is necessary or desirable to divorce sex education from the home. Both men made these comments after taking part in a panel discussion last week on the booklet dealing with human development and personal relationships in the school curriculum. "While I agree that ideally parents are the best people to teach this, the average parent doesn't know anything about sex

education and is not in a position to teach," said Mr Brown. "Most people have been indoctrinated with Victorian attitudes towards sex and they are unable to talk to their children about it. "This sort of thing is a vicious circle and we have to break into it one way or another." He hoped by introducing a sex education programme to schools it would produce parents who would go back to their children and inculcate certain standards in the home. "Until such time we can overcome this hypocritical approach then I'm afraid

we will never get parents who can give this kind of instruction," he said. It was necessary and vital that the right sort of teachers were appointed to teach sex education. "The Victorians swept the issue under the carpet and we have inherited the backlash," said Mr Brown. He said he was concerned about the number of children brought before the court for sexual offences. "We are not allowed to teach them anything about it — but we punish them for not knowing." Mr Bull said he was not sure whether sex education was necessary in schools.

"I have reservations about aspects of taking it down as far as the primary schools," he said. "I don't see how such a programme will solve the problem of parents not teaching their children about sex. . "I don't think it will be done adequately in the schools." He sees a potential conflict of values if the programme is introduced. "Values imparted by

teachers may be different to those in the home and we will end up with children with no values at all," said Mr Bull. He said the booklet made no mention of any basic system of philosophy. "I see nothing wrong with the Christian philosophy because whether people go to church or not they still accept it." He believed the effects of such a programme could be beneficial or disastrous.