Introduction
According to Wilhelm (2011), family life education is an aspect of health education programme which focuses on those biological, social and cultural factors, which influence the knowledge, attitude, habits of individuals towards standards essential to their performance in the establishment and orientation of a healthy family life. He also described sex education as an educational programme which teaches about human sexual anatomy, sexual reproduction, sexual intercourse, reproductive health, emotional relations, reproductive rights and responsibilities, abstinence, contraception, family planning, body image, sexual orientation, sexual pleasure, values, decisions making, communication, dating, relationships, sexual transmitted infections (STIs) and how to avoid them and birth control methods.
Karen (2009) said that there are conflicting interest among teachers, patients, and students regarding sex education at school. But the students are looking to acquire more insight into life skill based sex education. Thus, there is a need to consider these interests and develop teachers training which moves away from superficial, biological coverage towards a more inclusive programme. He further emphasized that such gap between students, teachers and parents (mothers) about sex education at schools may create difficulty to reduce (HIV/AIDS) Human Immune Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, unwanted pregnancy and even compromise the ability for the students to live a responsible family life when they attain adulthood.
Alexander (2003), argued that most parents (mothers) have exhibited the attitude of wrong concept towards the teaching of family life and sex education in secondary schools. They believe that the knowledge of sex education could only spur the young children to sexual intercourse. But the fact is that the adolescent are not ignorant of sexual life and any attempt to reduce them of sex education could only prone them to learn it from the wrong source, like the phonographic materials where the harmful aspect of sexual relationship are masked.
Conceptual framework
Family life education according to Miller (2007), is an educational programme aimed at unfolding the biological, social and cultural factors which are required to build the attitude and habit of an individual towards attaining standards essential to their full performance in the establishment of a healthy family life.
Wilhelm (2011). Described sex education as an educational programme which teaches about intercourse, reproductive health, emotional relations, reproductive rights and responsibilities, abstinence, contraception, family planning, body image, relationship, sexual transmitted infections (STIs) and how to avoid them etc.
Satcher (2009). Stated that sexuality which forms a centre aspect of being human is experienced in thoughts, fantasies, desires, beliefs, attitudes, values, behaviours, practices, roles and relationship. The main goal of sexuality education is the promotion of sexual health by providing learners with opportunities to develop a positive and factual view of sexualities and indeed sexual health.
This on the long run contributes in the prevention of (HIV/AIDS) Human Immune Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. Ogechi (2003), says that sex education provides young people with the information they need to understanding of humanity, our reproductive rights and developmental changes such as puberty, menopause, aging that could be experience in the course of one’s reproductive life. It provides a safety not for young people whose life are already infiltrated by messages from the media that may not reflect about themselves sends a message of self appreciation, self esteem and highlight the fact that changes they are experiencing or would experience are indeed normal.
The importance of family life and sex education
According to Mishon (2010), sexuality is an integral part of each person’s identity learning about our sexuality and achieving sexual health and well being are lifelong processes that begin at birth and continue throughout our lives. Although parents and guidance are the primary sex educators of their children, children also receive message about sexuality from other sources. Some of them may have more negative than positive impact. Schools and other community based organizations can be important partners with parents to provide young people accurate and developmentally appropriately sex education.
Gordon (2009) states for a very long time, the issue of sex education for young people, particularly in the African region but not exclusively, so has remain a taboo. Although sex is a natural developmental process, many parents, cultures, and society frown at discussing sex with their adolescent children because it is perceived as a generational taboo. Without destroying the fabric of the society or culture, it is imperative to each young people about sex education in a way that not only reflects the values of the family and the society, but also enhances the sustainability of a balance culture. Having sex is a primitive intrinsic natural human tendency that emerges in all of us in different forms and of different times. One thing is certain, if we don’t educate our children on sex-related issues, they would learn from other people or the mass media, sex education is not only importance as a developmental process in the life of a child, it aims the children with the tools to understand him or herself better in relation to the immediate environment and the threats that could emerge from such interaction. This is to say that young people will gain incremental knowledge of the ability to protect themselves and alert people of the threats of sexual exploitation if they are sexually educated.
Araoye(2012) stated that sex education provides young people with the information they need to understand their bodies and gender roles in positive ways. It is about better understanding of humanity, our reproductive rights and developmental changes such as puberty, menopause, aging etc. Human are curious animals and young people are exploratory as an expression of their intrinsic curiosity. Peer pressure and the media have enormous influence in the lives of the so called generation “why” and if we don’t teach them about sex somehow they would learn and may be learn in a way that may have devastating consequences. Some elements of the mass media television, radio, messages are based ill information and may not portray accurate reflection of reality. Sex education will serve as counter- insurgency to the war that have been declared against family values by mass media. He further stated that children are more likely to make better and more informed decision when adequately educated, and parents (mother) will feel more confident knowing that their children are aware of the realities around their reproductive lives. Although most parents work hard to prevent their children from premature sexual relationships, the reality is that it happens and could still happen in spite of threats and intimidation educating the child importance of protection as parts of safe sex routine may serve a higher purpose of preventing sexually transmitted infections. Though there are number of reason why parents are reluctant to teach their children about sex, prominent amongst the reason for families frowning at sex education include but not limited to the presentation of virginity, prevention of pre-marital sex, illegitimate pregnancy and abortion, religion and cultures, as well as maintenance of family honor and dignity. Contrary to this assumption, a number of surveys have shown that girls who were not educated about sexuality, including changes during puberty are more likely to embark on sexual indiscretion and become pregnant in their teenage years than those who were educated about sex knowledge, there is power, and this power when bestowed on adolescent could be the different between an irrational decision and well informed one.
Attitude of mothers towards the implementation of family life and sex education
According to Makinwa (2010), parents support for school based sex education is overwhelming positive. Over the past 20 years, in survey after survey, local state or national, so to 85 percent of parents indicates they want their children to receive comprehensive, medically, accurate, age and appropriate sex education. Parents now see such courses as supplementing, not supplementing their discussion at home. They say that their children need both to be taught about delaying the onset of intimate sexual relationships until they are matured and responsible and also given the information and skills they need to use condoms and contraception when they do not use either or but both.
Keny (2012) highlighted a report of a research carried out recently, had shown that more than half of parents do not think sex education should be taught to children at school. Many think it is inappropriate to teach children about sex while others think it should be a parent’s choice to inform their own child most parents are either reluctant or shy about teaching their children the truth about sex which is why kids turn to their friends to find out what they think is the truth.
Luker (2006) stated that the proponent of comprehensive sex education believes that these same problems of teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections are the result of young people not having enough information about sex. Many of the parents that Kristin Luker interviewed in her sociological study who were supportive of comprehensive sex education expressed a sense of pain and betrayed about having the older generation with hold information from them and they did not want their children to feel the same betrayed. These parents believe that sex is natural and that moral sex does not have to fit within the confines of a hetero-sexual marriage but rather, needs neither of whom are physically or emotionally taken advantage of. These parents believe that in teaching their children about sex, healthy relationship and how to protect themselves against unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, they are enabling the kind of decision making that will permit children to become complete adults.
Problems resulting from poor implementation of family life and sex education
Julian (2012) asserted that although parental consent is a large problem when determining what should or should not be taught in a class, school are an information center where students are exposed to receive useful knowledge that will help them though out their lives, on a wide range of topics, including sexual education. One of the biggest barriers is parental involvement, said Patrick Wilson, a nurse. If the parents say no, then it will not happen. Adding to the problem is the fact that many students do not feel comfortable speaking to their parents about sex or asking any questions regarding this subject and parents usually feel the same way. Avoiding this taboo subject however, often leads teenagers to have erroneous information regarding sex. There was a
According to Pedhour (2004), the average adolescent is confused about sex and sexuality, caught in the circle of parents, elders and teachers who are primarily concerned about academics and their behaviors. They are constantly bombarded with various sexual images through media and peers, where they learn masked concepts of sexuality like we watch in our home videos today. The absence of adequate sex education also adds to their sexual curiosity and changes in their physical body.
Collins (2001), says that the absence of family life and sex education have been a major cause of the outrageous rise in adolescent promiscures life. The masked knowledge gotten from the media and news papers prone these young people into experimenting with themselves. These have in several ways infiltrated our sexual social system.
Michael, (2007) stated the fact that sex education is termed to be a taboo in some family has often scare adolescent into practice indiscriminate abortion after engaging in promiscuous sexual activities, with no one to confide on, but their peers who of course persuade and convince them to do it the safe and cheap way, which is mixing concoction with hot drinks. These are all a result of the parents and school failure to provide an adequate sex education programme that equips the young adolescent on how to make wise decision on sexual relationship and the need to have protective sex.
Fred (2008) argues that lack of proper sex education programme from childhood compromises the ability for the adolescent to comprehend and adopt it, when its presented in later life, because the curiosity have died off by then and already injected concept gotten from the media is not always easy to let off, since it has no restrictions and have no regards for morals.
Fagen (2011) states that the changes that occurs during puberty is a very confusing one that it spurs every adolescent who have no prior knowledge of it, into being curious, and of course such issue are best discussed with peers. And whatever they are told, they would hold on to it as the truth since they are looking for something to lay their curious mind on. The lack of proper family life and proper sex education programme in our physical and healthy education curriculum is a weakness on our educational programme that has continue to agitate many sexual health issues such as adolescent promiscuity, unwanted pregnancy, sexual transmitted infections (STIs) indiscriminate abortions, sexual harassments etc.
Measures to improve the importance of family life and sex education
Most mothers still believe that talking about sex will lead to their children indulging in such activities, it is a false notion as quite often children are merely curious and on open discussion, with parents will help them understand and deal with the hormonal changes constructively.
Sexual health education (S.H.E) is an importance strategy for promoting well-informed sexual decision making and preventing unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among adolescent. One promising approach for increasing adolescent sexual health education access is to institute school district policies that mandate high quality sex education. In partnership with youth activities organized by Illios Caucus for Adolescent Health (ICAH), the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), Board of education established such a policy in April (2006).
Anderson (2009) called family life and comprehensive sexual health education the (CPS) sexuality health education policy commits to providing district students with sex education that is comprehensive age appropriate medical accurate, and emphasizes abstinence while not excluding unwanted pregnancies and (STIs). Individual’s schools have the discretion to meet the policy’s guidelines by using curriculum and programmes that are best suited for local needs. In addition, the policy requires that
- Any teacher delivering sexual health education instruction participate in a relevant comprehensive health education training
- Schools using outside the consultants for sexual health education instruction ensures that these providers are district approved.
While the policy created these guidelines for its implementation, it did not contain language specifying school-level monitoring, evaluation, or accountability. A recent literature synthesis indicates that without such accountability mechanisms, policy implementation is likely to be sporadic at best.
Friedman (2005) stated that abstinence only sex education programme is a deliberated act of masking the reality of family life and sex education. For family life and sex education to be effective, it have to be broad enough to embrace all aspect of human sexuality including the use of conceptive, condom and how they are used, the various changes that occur during puberty, family planning, decision making on sexual matters, the need for sexual compatibility etc, in a way that is most appropriate for their various stages and classes.
References
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