Page 202 - Health, Population and Environment Education 9

curiosities regarding sex and sexual matters. They cannot get their curiosities addressed
from the parents, neither they feel easy to discuss about them with others. Hence, they
are compelled to adopt unhealthy means to satisfy their sexual desires. It is most essential
that they should be provided with ideas on sex education.
Sex education is an educational process that provides knowledge, skills and attitudes
about the reproductive system, its organs and their structure, sexual matters and helps to
bring change in the attitudes and behaviours towards the healthy sexual activities.
According to WHO, “Sex education is an educational programme designed to provide
the learners adequate and accurate knowledge of biological, socio-cultural and moral
dimensions of human sexuality. Human sexuality is the core of sex education and is a
function of the total personality which includes the human reproductive system and
processes, individual feelings of being a woman or a man, embraces the biological, socio-
cultural and ethical aspects of human sexual behaviour.”

Importance of sex education

Sex education is equally important as other types of education. It helps people to deal
with several sexual matters and get answers for them. People can have many advantages
from sex education. The importances of sex education is mentioned below:
a. Sex education provides necessary skills, knowledge and understanding about various
sexual behaviours.
b. It helps to remove misconception regarding sex and reproduction.
c. It helps to understand the sexual behaviours in terms of society and family.
d. It helps to develop the practice of healthy and safe sexual behaviour.
e. It helps to maintain sexual hygiene.
f. It awares people about various sexually transmitted infections and ways to protect
against them.
g. It helps men and women to understand their sex roles and emotional relationships.
h. It provides appropriate answers to the curiosities and queries of the adolescents
regarding the sexual behaviour.
i. It promotes positive attitudes among adolescents for richer and happier living.
j. It provides information on reproduction process and helps to reduce birth rate.
k. It emphasizes on knowledge, skills and understanding on contraceptive devices and
their use.
l. It awares people about sexual malignancy and its impact in the society.

Activity: 3

Visit a health post or health centre and prepare a report on the following questions:
a. What is sex education and why do people need it?
b. How is sex education taken in our society?
c. Which types of sexual cases approach to you?
d. What is the common concept of people on sex education?
202 GREEN Environment Population and Health Education Book-9