Sex education remains a taboo subject in Malaysia, yet young educators are working hard to pry away from such outdated beliefs, one teaching lesson at a time.
In a video uploaded by @kimgiejie on TikTok, a group of primary school students are gathering around a demonstration station. In front of them, a phallic-shaped object is placed at the center and one of the teachers can be seen instructing the students on the proper way of putting on a condom.
Since this video was posted, Malaysians have reacted rather positively to the educational plan, praising the teachers' bold initiative to introduce sex education even though it's not officially included in the curriculum.
Is sex education needed in Malaysian education system?
Due to the lack of appropriate legislation and avenues for educating the populace about the risks and wrongs of heinous acts such child marriage, grooming, and sexual harassment, they have regrettably become quite common in Malaysia. Due to their inability to perceive such abuse, a child may not be able to notice sexual abuse that has been done upon them.
By educating children about consent and other important sex education subjects, it will inevitably enhance their understanding and, ideally, shield them from becoming potential victims.
Supressing sexual urges is poor execution of "sex education"
In South East Asian culture, sex is rarely a subject of casual conversation and physical intimacy is generally frowned upon. However, rather than avoiding the subject, proper sex education must be introduced as opposed to simply promoting celibacy because let's face it: not everyone practices it.
Poorly educated individuals may have never even heard of safe sex concept, for instance, and this is the kind of misinformation that would need to be avoided.
The main question remains: is Malaysia ready to introduce sex education? If so, do we have proper resources? Let's discuss in the comments!