It's sex education, not porn

Pictures showing the structure of a woman's body in primary school textbooks in Wuhan, Hubei province, have been criticized for being over the top, with some media outlets even calling them "pornography". But in reality primary school students still don't get enough sex education considering the development of and the easy access children have to the Internet, says an article in Guangzhou Daily. Excerpts:

It has been widely accepted that sex education is inadequate in Chinese schools. Surveys show that nearly 70 percent of primary school students know little about menstruation or spermatorrhea; they have no idea that these two physical changes signify puberty. This is not surprising because experts who deliver lectures on sex education in middle schools and colleges say they are reluctant to do so in primary schools for fear of irking parents.

Sex is a normal physical need of humans, and sex education cannot be obtained through instinct. Therefore, the reluctance to educate children about sex is unjustified, because proper information could answer children's sex-related questions and make them less inquisitive about sex.

An obscure approach to sex education is exhausting. It cannot clear the mystery surrounding sex for children and suggest that sex is taboo. Such prejudice is the root cause of inadequate sex education in primary schools.

Many problems are created by the lack of sex education, which include teenage girls getting pregnant, minors being sexually abused and crime of passion in love relationships. Experts believe that primary school years are the best time for children to learn about sex. And statistics show that countries which provide good sex education to children have a lower rate of pre-marriage pregnancy. Therefore, primary schools should be encouraged to provide proper sex education to students, rather than being criticized for such efforts.

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