PUTRAJAYA, Jan 18 — The Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said today she agrees that there is a need for sex education in schools and has brought the matter to Cabinet.
She, however, indicated that to implement this successfully, it requires an ecosystem within the community and among relevant ministries.
"I just brought it to the Cabinet. I will be having a coordination meeting, not just with Education Ministry, Health, Unity and Local Government Development — but we need an ecosystem within the community.
"Maybe the religious affairs minister and youth and sports minister [too] because she was here before,” Nancy told reporters when met after officiating a townhall session for Child Services (child care and protection).
She added that the responsibility to implement this should not fall under the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry alone but should have involvement from various ministries.
"We need to have this kind of coordination with all ministries and community, when they have a programme they have to have programmes on parenting, on values — when we talk about education.
"I did mention to the ministers that we need to know what is in the modules of subjects among those who are studying as they may already have it, I might not be aware. But this is the purpose of that meeting, that will be after the Chinese New Year,” she said.
Currently, sex education is not taught as a standalone subject, but incorporated into others such as moral and Islamic studies, science, and biology — with a focus on abstinence.
