Teaching Sex Education in Schools (Essay Sample)

Teaching Sex Education in Schools Name Institution Affiliation Student Course Tutor Due Date Teaching sex education in schools is an ongoing conversation that has attracted massive debates in recent years. The idea of teaching sex education is influenced by the determination that its primary goal is to aid children in acquiring in-depth knowledge of their sexual development in their early years of growth. Extant literature stipulates that the conversation around introducing sex education in schools has gained immense support from people who firmly believe that besides widening the learners' knowledge of sexual developments, its acts as the most effective way of enabling them to develop practical skills which would help them develop a healthy way of life. However, it is imperative to understand that a wide range of nuances is attached to introducing sex education in schools. For instance, a section of the population believes that teaching sex education in schools is inappropriate and a waste of resources. They consider it a waste of resources since they believe most students will not put so much interest to the subject. But, they fail to recognize that there is a plethora of benefits associated with teaching sex education in schools which outweigh its disadvantages. As such, the essay will identify the nuances attached to the subject of teaching sex education in schools and, most importantly, develop a perspective that contributes to the positive progression of the conversation on the issue by highlighting arguments articulated by recent research studies and existing literature on the subject. The significance of sex education is one of the subjects widely documented. Sex education is shown to have an immense influence on the beliefs and attitudes of young people. Research studies in recent decades have shown that earlier sexual maturity is an experience most people globally have to go through, an aspect that increases their risks of indulging in premarital sexual activities (Leung et al., 2019). These studies further stipulate that there is a need for the teaching of sex education in schools since young adults are identified to be at the most risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases (Leung et al., 2019). Sex education has remained controversial since extra-marital interactions are forbidden culturally, legally and religiously in some places. Also, the issue attracts controversies and nuances since a section of the population is subscribed to certain moral perceptions and is afraid that exposure to sexual education would encourage indulgence in sexual activities (Fonner et al., 2021). Arguably, even though sex education cannot be easily incorporated into formal education curriculums in some places, there is a need to consider its myriad benefits, which outweigh the existing nuances that have largely contributed to its slowed plugging into formal education curriculums. The appropriateness of sex education is a critical factor that has largely contributed to the rise of debates around teaching sex education in schools. Theoretically, the primary objective of teaching sex education in schools is to enable the youths and children develop positive views of their sexuality and, most importantly, acquire skills and in-depth knowledge on how they can take care of their sexual health (Goldfarb & Lieberman, 2021). Investigative research studies in recent decades have shown that one critical factor that has largely caused the division in the conversation around sex education is the grapple on how it would be taught and the people that would be in charge of teaching (Fonner et al., 2021). According to Vongxay et al. (2019), teaching sex education in schools has been largely opposed by some people since exposure to comprehensive sex education would encourage youths to get sexually involved. Vongxay et al. (2019) further stipulate that some people are against teaching sex education in schools since it is believed to undermine the influence of moral and religious values in rendering guidance to the youths on the issues around sex. Additionally, it is argued that sex education would expose children to knowledge of intimacy even though they are ignorant and have no interest in the matter (Goldfarb & Lieberman, 2021). Hence, the opponents of sexual education do not see the need for children to be exposed to knowledge of sex until they are fully grown and have well-established definitive adult-based relationships. The arguments against sex education in schools are flawed since they fail to recognize the weight of its benefits. This line of thought is based on the determination that the spread of sexually transmitted infections, early pregnancies and increased HIV cases among the youth is a result of insufficient knowledge of safe sex practices and the use of contraceptives (Leung et al., 2019). Research studies in recent decades have shown that there is documentation of school-based sex education to positively influence the youths with proper knowledge of safe sex practices (Vongxay et al., 2019). The importance of school-based sex education in impacting the youths with knowledge of safe sex practices is further corroborated by other extant literature, which posits that in countries such as Australia, prioritizing sex education has played an integral role in deterring the spread of HIV among the young people (Leung et al., 2019). In this case, the opponents of sex education in schools need to understand that its significance cannot be undermined since it equips the youths with the skills and the knowledge to protect themselves against sexually transmitted infections and early pregnancies. Progressing the conversation around sex education positively requires the opponents to understand that sex education is uniquely structured so that factual information is rendered to the young adults without instilling judgments or any kind of moral values. For instance, an investigative research study conducted to determine the structure of sex education established that it is non-judgmental, clear and non-prescriptive (Vongxay et al., 2019). The research further indicates that it is impossible for non-judgmental, clear and non-prescriptive information concerning intimacy to be acquired from conventional organizations such as religion and families (Vongxay et al., 2019). Thus, the opponents of sex education need to recognize that by teaching sex education in schools, young people will have access to unbiased and valuable information that will help them in making comprehensive decisions and choices concerning sex. In addition to increasing access to impartial and valuable information teaching sex education acts as the most effective way of eliminating the disapproval attached to the issues of sex (Vongxay et al., 2019). This idea aligns with the determination that when young people are introduced to sexual education, it will be easier for them to embrace sexuality as some form of natural phenomenon (Vongxay et al., 2019). For instance, most young adults experiencing their menstrual periods for the first time have to endure embarrassment. However, if sex education is taught in schools, they will be taken through menstruation as a natural phenomenon, and the sensitivity to the matter shall be eradicated. In this case, the opponents of sex education have to open up to the wide range of benefits associated with the matter. The opponents of sex education strongly believe it undermines the role of religion and other structures, such as families, in instilling sex-related values in the youths. However, their perspective fails to recognize that there are youths from families and cultures where discussing the subject of sex is considered taboo. For instance, Gruskin et al. (2019) posit that even though families are considered to be units of socialization with immense influence on young adults, sex is found to be an embarrassing subject that cannot be discussed in some homes. Gruskin et al. (2019) further recognize that people need to understand the significance of introducing sex in schools since most guardians and parents do not share sex knowledge with their children because they do not have appropriate communication skills and have insufficient knowledge. Also, there are cultures where young adults are not allowed to engage in open-sex ...