AN ANALYSIS OF THE IMPORTANCE OF SEX EDUCATION IN SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF STUDY
An important but most undermined phenomenon that has plagued for sex and sex education.
Numerous definitions and interpretations have been advanced by all faced of human society without excavating the eliminating problems associated with it.
In this chapter, the researcher intends to have an over view of the menologies associated with sex before dealing with the scope of this study.
The term sex gives beyond the realm of sex organs, instructions and act of sex organs as individuals are made to believe to make a breakthrough in the life of human relation among and between sex partners.
Sex education is the instruction about sex and human sexuality. Sex is an important effect on the human life of an individual and almost everyone in the society including children wants to know about it. Traditionally, children are not supposed to receive information about sex at all. They many a time, learn about sex through their friends, books, television, pornographic films either from the magazines or internets and sex movies.
Correct and factual information should be given to teenagers about the sudden development in their bodies. During this period, the girls develop breast, menstruation starts, pelvic borne broadens these starts at the age of eleven to twelve years and in the boys between fourteen to fifteen years. The sexual organs mature the widening of the chest and enlargement of the lynx which causes breaking of the voice.
The teen periods are very crucial in the life of the individual. Many distractions may occur during this stage such as school drop out, sexual immorality juvenile delinquency to mention but a few are all problems evolving from physical, social, cognitive and mental development. However, sex education has generally being masked in giggles and silent matters.
Children should be given adequate information’s about sex. Gone are the days when sexual matters were hidden from them.
Many school pupils in Nigeria suffer from insufficient sex education in their homes because parents are inadequate in this respect, school pupils have to rely on their friend’s initiative and whatever they can learn from their friends and their school masters. Thus hey undergo a great deal of emotional stress and strain caused by a variety of reasons chief which for the 12 plus groups, may be problems of ignorant about sex.
Questions posed by the teenagers should be answered by teachers as well as parents to open a wide range of the communication because silence or lie telling may cause injury as they assume that the information gathered from the peers, books or internet are true and also the answers should be contrary to those books and peers.
Sex desire can lead to sexual immorality which can result to pregnancy i.e. the process of procreation or reproduction most teenagers are physically able to have children but few are ready and responsibilities of marriage or parent hood most unmarried teenagers who do not have babies can be carried away by their sexual feelings and emotional desires. This can cause a serious sexual malady and the psychological problems for them. It can cause an abortion, sexual transmitted disease (STDS) like HIV/AIDS and so on. Sexual intercourse between two persons who are not married to each others is considered as a taboo to be generality of the society and morally wrong among religious groups.
Sex relationship outside marriage can result in quilts feelings and other psychological problems for persons involved. It can also cause birth of unwanted child.
Therefore sex education should be given at early development stage of the child because the foundation laid in the early life of the teenagers determines the stability and propensity of marriage life of an individual in the society.
The provision of sex education is important because the norms guiding sexual act has been broken down by the increasing urbanization and the modernization of social norms. Sex education through parents, teachers or counselors and educators will not certainly be universal remedy to the social ills, but it will provide information for improving behavior, establishing personality in our society. This should be made known to teenagers of both sexes.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Sex education has been a controversial and debatable topic some parents has avoided communication on giving information concerning this topic to their children.
In recent times the continued problems of sexual immorality among many of our adolescent (boys and girls) and sexual harassment by the adult have been an important issue of discussions. On this issue the society has neither to blamed the phenomenon on the schools that fails to provide adequate information on sex related issues on the other hand attributes causes of sexual moral, laxity to parents whose moral duty is to impact sex education to their children.
The problem of this study is, does teaching of sex education have negative effects on the learners?
The study seeks to find out and identifies the effects of sex education in secondary school students
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
Here the researcher attempts a methodical investigation into the effect of sex education on children specifically the researcher aims are to;
· Find out if sex education exist in our education
· Find out the goals of sex education
· Investigate the effects of sex education
· Identify the importance of sex education
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
Here the researcher addressed the problem within certain key questions to guide the investigation. The questions posed by the researcher are;
1. Where should sex education be taught?
2. Who teaches sex education?
3. Does the teaching of sex education makes teenagers becomes juvenile delinquents and drop out from school?
4. To what extend can the teaching of sex education make teenagers to practice sexual immorality and also make them perform poorly in academic work?
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This study will give correct and factual information and understanding of the effects and implication of sexuality such as the developmental function and expression. It will enlighten our teenagers and prevent them from developing a sense of guilt, horror, disgust or fear of sex act at the right time for right purpose with right reasons.
It will also enable youth to cope with their developmental task of becoming responsible men and woman in future.
It will enable them to develop self respect, self control and self esteem for their spouse and also the study will enable teachers to know their role in sex education and also parents will have an insight into sexual needs of their children .
DEFINITION OF TERMS
sex education; it is the education which helps individual develop his fullest creative potential as sexual human being at all stage of life, the physical state of a woman carrying an embryo or baby. It is the growth period during which this occurs.
Pelvic: hip bones
Sex: this is the sexual activity or sexual characteristics of a person.
Sex organs: this is s structure or organ which is responsible for the reproduction such as penis in male or vagina in female.
Teenager: this is the stage development in human being between eleven to nineteen years.
Abortion: this is the way by which normal pregnancy is terminated by either using instrument of drugs.
Menstruation: to discharge blood monthly for the uterus through vagina
Education: this is the acquisition of knowledge, skill and attitude which change individuals to become a distinct personality in the society.