Sex education in Macao

By Shiela Lay, Tiffany Chen, Donfree Lei, Jacob Jiang

The alarming number of sex-related cases involving minors has been a concerning matter to the public over the years, and with accessible Internet nowadays, the issue continues to worsen. According to Macau Daily Times, the acting head of Education and Youth Affairs Bureau (DSEJ), Leong Vai Kei, stated that 22 sex-related cases involving underage students were recorded in the past academic year. This has raised questions regarding Macao's policy on sex education.

 

DSEJ does not have a compulsory format or formal curriculum on sex education in secondary schools. Much like Hong Kong, the government's policy of sex education is to integrate various topics into relevant subjects rather than to make them independent. Each school may decide on their teaching model for sex education based on their teaching background. Certain schools would hold lectures, seminars or exhibitions, while others simply teach the subject as a chapter in biology class.

 

On the other hand, DSEJ has held the "Community sex education promotion activities" for eight years. It is an activity cooperated with different organizations and schools in order to help children and teens establish awareness of protecting the body and privacy and provide basic sexual education. According to their website, around 70% of Macao's schools have participated in over 30 different types of events in the whole activity.

 

Saint Joseph Diocesan College (CDSJ) is one of the schools which has participated in this activity. It includes lectures, parent symposia, drama performances etc. Alvin Ma, a teacher of CDSJ, said students respond well to the event. "As a biology teacher, I think we should first bring some basic biology knowledge to students," Ma said. He believed that the first part students should know about is the scientific knowledge about the human body structure, sexual behaviors and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). And the next step is the ethics part of the educations.

 

Mr. Wong, a teacher who works in another high school, expressed that they have included sex education into the "personal and social" subject, discussing ethical topics such as interpersonal relationship of the two sexes, family values, marriage purposes etc. Furthermore, they would also hold regular seminars delivered by guest organizations and speakers which are usually tailored to respective grades. On top of that, special classes will be offered to students who need guidance on the issue.

 

While most of Macao's schools seem to have sex education whether under the guidelines of the government or not, many students did not recall being greatly impacted, while some might even have trouble recalling ever attending any seminars. Regina Elma, a student who graduated from one of said schools, stated that she only recalled ever having one seminar a year, which lasted around one and a half hour, "I vaguely remembered attending a short and basic talk conducted by some organization, but it never taught me much. Most of the stuff I know, I either learn it through media or through friends."

 

Like many other graduated students, Elma's memory of ever having sex education, besides learning the basics of human biology, has faded or diminished. This really shows the effect of influence the school's sex education had on them.

 

Ma believed teachers should keep improving the sexual education, "We should not ask if the current education is enough, we should ask what else we can do to improve," Ma said.

 

Being part of a relatively sensitive subject, it is quite hard to have a full, open discussion about many layers of sex education, especially when challenged with traditional views and mindsets. Neighboring areas such as mainland China and Taiwan share the same fate as Macao, with many students only having learned the physical difference of the sexes and biological behaviors. Most parents are not willing to help as well, resulting in many students sourcing the media, or their friends and classmates to acquire that knowledge.

 

From the cases above, we can see that even though the government and schools appear to have put effort into the matter, the impact is not evidently enough. A pressing matter should be more emphasized on students' education. Sex education is a complex topic, with various layers and levels. However, that should not stop schools from discussing it in an open and comfortable setting, instead of being glossed over and not providing the appropriate information to the learning students.

 

Besides teaching the students the scientific part of the topic, such as human biology, STDs, safe sex etc, the ethical part of the topic, such as abstinence, family, marriage etc. should also be brought up to the table and discussed openly. A safe zone should be created as students might not feel comfortable talking about the topic with their parents and vice versa. If the alarming numbers are to drop, a change in the education system should be made, with constant upgrade and improvement on the curriculum.

 

It is time to start talking about sex in a healthy manner!

 

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