Reforming the Sex Education in Sri Lanka
Context: Last night, mom asked my suggestions about secondary education reforms, to discuss in the meetings that take place under the president's new initiative. Here is my reply about sex-ed.
What they have in health now is bullshit. Set that on fire. Tell them your son told this:
Today, ALL children get their actual sex education in grade 8 from porn. All grade 8, 9 kids watch porn. Yes, even those innocent boys next door. You can't stop this. If there is the internet, children will find out about porn. It's human nature. Unfortunately, this builds inaccurate expectations, which might psychologically affect their social and sexual lives in the future.
This means you have to give real sex education by grades 7 and 8. Teach them about sex, bring a model of penis and vagina and show them how it fits. They need to know. Girls should know this, to at least understand what's happening when they are being raped.
Talk about condoms, about contraceptives. How STDs are actually transmitted. One of my friends was discussing in grade 9:
"when a girl has sex with multiple boys, their siemens get mixed inside her vagina and HIV is formed".
This is the state of sex education right now.
Tell them this: In Kandy, my classmates were having oral sex in Grade 9. It was the girl's idea because she didn't want to lose her virginity. In Negombo, my friend's classmates were having anal sex, for the same reasons. Talk about virginity, hymen, and what an absurd concept it is. I'm sure vaginal sex is happening everywhere, even in Jaffna. It is happening. You can't stop this. Just bring a cucumber, teach them how to wear a condom and safeguard themselves while doing the deed.
Talk about LGBT. Homosexuality. Tell the scientific truth. 2-10% of humans are homosexual, from the beginning of time. It was accepted in ancient Greece, Islamic Iran and Hindu India. It's mostly genetic, by birth. Transgenders face so many problems. Teach about those.
THIS IS SEX EDUCATION
Teachers are afraid to talk about this. Fire them. Train the rest.