A sex education program endorsed by Singapore’s Ministry of Education (MOE) is being questioned on Reddit for clearly advocating “healthy, heterosexual marriages” and “stable nuclear family units” in schools.
On the Singapore subreddit, an image of a letter dated Feb 13 was posted, apparently a consent form meant for parents and legal guardians of secondary school students to sign off on. The letter detailed the aims of MOE’s Growing Years programme, which is part of its sex education curriculum. According to the MOE website, the programme will teach teens that abstinence before marriage is the best course of action to prevent sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancies — a more conservative take that leans away from being okay with safe sex and responsible sexual behavior.
Though MOE insists that schools are not used as “arenas for advocacy on controversial issues”, advocacy still exists, according to the letter. The programme will be standing strong on heterosexuality.
“(Sexuality Education) is premised on the importance of the family as the basic unit of society. This means encouraging healthy, heterosexual marriages and stable nuclear family units with extended family support.”
It’s not that surprising, of course, considering that’s a long-held stance of the government for a long time. Singapore society still remains pretty divided over the issue of accepting LGBTQ relationships, and the government has not budged an inch about removing an archaic (but rarely enforced) law that criminalizes sex between men.
Redditors didn’t take an approving view of the curriculum, deemed outdated by today’s standards.
