School syllabus on family planning and population education. The role of teachers. Teaching methodology
Abisheganaden, E.
Singapore Public Health Bulletin 16: 20-24
1975
ISSN/ISBN: 0304-4378 PMID: 12338649 Document Number: 500741
The essential task of family life education is to harmonize the conflict between natural drives and society's restrictions and to direct the individual nature so that it may contribute to personal happiness and advance the society. The reason for introducing sex education in the primary schools is because at that age children are not interested in the emotional or abstract idea of love but how or why sex is necessary to produce a family. This paper, presented to the Family Planning and Population Education Seminar for Teachers, describes a population education syllabus and explains the intentions of the program. For separate boys' and girls' programs 3 topics are covered: 1) puberty changes, 2) emotional and social implications arising out of the changes, and 3) parenthood and family planning. The lessons are intended to provide the young with a healthy approach to sex and enable them to control their emotions and have socially acceptable behavior. In the area of human reproduction, the approach should deal with the biological and psychological aspects, with parenthood and family planning as the central focus. Some approaches which are suggested are: 1) films, 2) relating sex to science lessons, 3) using a story angle, 4) cassette tapes, 5) questionnaires, and 6) news articles.