ABSTRACT
The
study is aimed at analyzing the importance of sex education on junior secondary
school students in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, Nigeria. The sample used consist of two hundred (200)
respondents from six schools in Obio/Akpor. A
questionnaire titled “Importance of sex education on junior secondary school
students” was developed by the researcher for the collection of data. The data
collected were analyzed by the use of simple percentage. The study showed that students actually want
sex education in the secondary school curriculum and it was recommended that
sex education should not only be limited to schools but also taught at home.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Sex
education is one of the major determinants of future stability in families of
the nation. Unfortunately, in Nigeria today while time and money are being
spent on curriculum work and school environment, surprisingly, little time and
attention are paid to the crucial issues of sex education.
Sex education is a comprehensive and
systematic development program extending from infancy to maturity. It is
planned and directed to produce social and moral desirable sexual attitudes
practices and personal behaviour.
Sex problems have a very devastating effect
on the individual in our society. Some people have wrong ideas about sex
education. This is not surprising, considering the fact that many old people
have their respective viewpoint about life.
With the greater freedom of discussion of sex
in our society and the earlier maturity of children today, one would not
consider the introduction of ex education to our teenagers too early. The
introduction of proper sex education to our youths will reduce many of the
societal problems now facing us.
The bringing together of boys and girls into
the same schools creates problems of physical contact and emotional involvement
which eventually culminate in arousing Sex.
A majority of Nigerian parents and teachers
believe that the sex education of their children is the parent’s responsibility
while some others would welcome its introduction into the school curriculum.
This lead to the question, ‘what are the students views towards it introduction
into school curriculum?
Simply put, sex education is that dealing
with the processes and problems of reproductions designed to provide the
individual with understanding and control of their sex impulses and behaviour.
It also deals with the principles of both individual and groups problems
stemming from the biological fact that there are two basic types of human beings
– males and females.
Sex
education has been given various definitions by various schools of
thought. AHI (2003) described Sex education as “a planned process of education
that fosters the acquisition of factual information, the formation of positive
attitudes, beliefs and values as well as the development of skills to cope with
the biological, psychological, socio-cultural and spiritual aspects of human Sex.”
That is, learning about the anatomy, physiology and bio-chemistry of the sexual
response system which determines identity, orientations, thoughts and feelings
as influenced by values beliefs, ethics and moral concerns. It is the
interactive relationship of these dimensions that describes an individual’s
total Sex (SIECUS, 1995). Also, sex
education teaches us that, religious principles, beliefs, rules and
regulations and ethical considerations affect our everyday interactions just as
our culture, role models in our families and our friends impact us as well. Sex
education is simply the art of learning how to conform to a certain art of
living by being able to reason, examine and monitor oneself in clearly defined
terms.
Due to the broadness of sex education, this
research will focus on the importance of sex education with a direct focus on
secondary schools in Obio/Akpor Local Government. This is because of the influx
of people from different ethnic group into the locality. Obio/Akpor has not
only increased in population but also in size. The need to actualize these
sexual feelings became evidence when the students are among themselves. But the
forceful preventives warning of the parents only serve temporary chock on
sexual tendencies amongst these youth. With these children sent to secondary
schools and no thorough knowledge of sex life, a lot of problems easily come
into play as the student’s jumps into their game of uncontrolled emotion. As a
place for the dissemination of knowledge, secondary schools become the local
point fort the introduction of sex education, since present generation involve
themselves in promiscuity and corruption, there is the need for them to be
taught what sexual relationship is. With this, a lot of changes will occur in
the life of the students, parents and the community at large.
According to Calderome (1972) the World War
II marked the liberalization of many attitudes about sex as well as the
beginning of changes in behaviour leading individuals all over the world to
advocate for ‘telling the truth’ to children. The child study association of
America in the 1920s led the way toward an open approach to all topics
including sex education. Though more emphasis was placed on reproductive
education, since then, the concept has enlarged considering today sex education
encompasses a wide range of biological, sociological and psychological
knowledge. Today there is the awareness of the need for sex education in
schools, churches and other institutions of the growing concern over teenage
pregnancies, abortions, venereal disease, increased promiscuity, widespread
martial and sexual difficulties.
Sources of initiatives are the sex
information and education council of the United State (SIECUS), which was
founded in 1963, professional groups and all levels, while Calder-Wood D. D.
and Sloan (1982) added the Japanese Association for sex education.
More so, the knowledge of sex education will
reduce the rate of casualty, which would have resulted from illegal procurement
of abortion by quack doctors or nurses. Presently sex education programmes have
been integrated into several secondary school education programmes.
1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEMS
Ignorance of sex and its associated problems
is prevalent in and among secondary school students. The life of students are
shattered with the passing of incorrect information among themselves, they get
misled by others.
Today, the problems resulting from the lack
of sex education to our youth are numerous. They are unwanted pregnancies,
increase abortion, high incidence of sexually transmitted diseases and high
rates of sexual promiscuity. All these
have led to inability to concentrate, poor school performance, deterioration of
mental health of students, high rate of school drop outs, increase in
illiteracy and over population. Consequently, the educational opportunity of
Nigeria youth is greatly affected and this posses a great loss to the society.
Religious bodies view sex education as premature, dangerous and likely to lead
to sexual promiscuity. To behavioural scientists, the introduction of sex
education is proper. However, despite the increasing sexual problems, parents
and schools are still not providing teenagers with proper knowledge of sex.
Young people regard sex as fun rather than
what it really is. They see it as a personal and private affair of the
participants, which it is not. They take to themselves as a teacher (which is
not good enough) and have been guided by mythologies and misconceptions about
sex.
Many administrations have been greatly
worried about the appropriate level of which sex education can be introduced,
who should teach sex education, what to teach and what not to. It should
however, be realized that sex education if properly given does not arouse
morbid curiosity but does exactly the opposite to young people. Whereas, the
misinformation, secret, misinterpretation and fables about sex functions leads
to dangerous consequences. Therefore, information about sex education gives an
insight to people understanding of sex functions.
It was Liewely-Jones Derek (1978) who noted
that adults complain about the irresponsibility of teenagers about their lack
of respect, about their morals and promiscuity, yet it is difficult to ask
teenagers to develop responsibility when adults seen to be rejecting it and
when society seems to be fragmenting it is particularly difficult to ask young
people to maintain sexual responsibility. He needs to be alert to talk to
someone close to him and not have to talk to her parents as strangers. It
parents are unable to answer her questions regarding social, moral and sexual
attitudes, then they have failed as parents and should not blame their children
for failing. As children grow older, their interest in sex increases.
1.3 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The purpose of the study is therefore to
sample the importance of sex education with a focus on selected secondary
schools in Obio/Akpor LGA. This study is also programmed to find out how sexual
problem deeply influence students in order to portray the need for schools. It
would also educate the students to know what sexual relationship is and the
implication of sex promiscuity.
And to make a case for the need to teach sex
education in secondary schools beginning from junior secondary III. It also
seeks to find out the various ways in which sex education can be taught, who to
teach it and the goals to be achieved from teaching sex education.
1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The outcome of this research programme will
enable the readers not only to identity the need for introducing the course sex
education into secondary school curriculum, but will also assist in the
enumeration of the issues and challenges occurring due to the non-introduction
of sex education into secondary schools and possible solution to the
elimination of such associated issues. It will also help the readers to
understand that the babies got from unwanted pregnancy by school girls may be
fatherless, thus they will always create problems to their parents and also the
society in general.
It is hoped that through the findings, the
various misconceptions on the issue of sex education will be corrected. There
can be nothing more damaging to effective sex reduction than shame,
embarrassment and untruthfulness on timidity about sex. It is also hoped that a
solution to the problems affecting sex education will be achieved so that
meaningful sex education will be taught to our youths.
Solving the issue of sex education will go
far in improving on the health of every individual, school performance,
population growth and therefore lighten the standard of living.
With the knowledge and not ignorance of sex
education, youth will be in a better position to understand the challenges of
growing up and the values of sex as well as its pit falls.
1.5 ASSUMPTIONS
1.
The
teaching of sex education should be limited to female teachers.
2.
The
teaching of sex education in secondary schools will reduce the rate of dropout
that is caused by indiscriminate sexual activities.
3.
The
knowledge of sex education can reduce the rate of deaths that occur during the
procurement of abortion of unwanted pregnancies.
1.6 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
i.
Do
parents feel that sex education will save them from certain embarrassing
situations?
ii.
Do
parents feel that sex education should be taught at home?
iii.
Do
parents want sex education introduced into the secondary school curriculum?
iv.
Can the
problems of infertility among women in the society be reduced with the
knowledge of sex education
1.7 SCOPE OF STUDY
Sex education is a very broad topic, it is necessary
for everybody not just students or adolescent, but this study is limited to the
importance of sex education and the need for sex education to be taught not
only in schools, but also at home.
1.8 DEFINITION OF TERM
Sex: A fundamental driving force in
relationship between the biological need to produce, culture influence love and
affection of human life.
Sexual
relationship: Sexual intercourse by both sexes. It also has something to do
with having canal knowledge of each other.
Promiscuity: Indiscriminate
sexual relationship that occurs outside marriage life.
Education: This is
the act of acquiring knowledge that intend to produce a positive result. It is
also a process of changing the behaviour of a person.
Sex education: Composes of the knowledge of
the male and the female anatomy on parts of the body, the basic process of
human reproduction and developments, sexual intercourse, consequences and
responsibilities, contraception or pregnancy prevention and where or how to get
counselling
Curriculum: This
can be descried as the list of projects to be studied in any course of study.
It can also be defined as a planned course of instruction.
Teenagers: This is
the stage of development in human being between 10 – 18 years.