IMPORTANCE OF TEACHING SEX EDUCATION IN JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS. A CASE STUDY OF SOME SELECTED SCHOOLS IN IKPOBA OKHA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF EDO STATE

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

An important but most undermined phenomenon that has ploughed the society for many years is sex and sex education. This phenomenon is so complicated that people have different view about it. These differences bring tolerance in sexuality among some while it creates problems in some other ethnic groups where discussion of sex is a taboo. In society where boys and girls into the same school, create problem of physical contact and emotional involvement, which eventually result in arousing sexuality. This anxiety created in them; make them jump into this game of uncontrollable emotion. In this chapter, the researcher intends to have an overview of terminologies associated with sex before dealing with the scope pf the study. Sex education is the instruction about sex and human sexuality which children re supposed to receive but many parents do not instruct their children about sex at all. Correct and relevant information should be given to teenagers about the changes and development they observe in their bodies during the period of maturity. There girls develop breast and pelvic bone broaden etc. these start about the age of twelve years {12} while the boys sexual organs matures, their chest widens and their larynx enlarges.

This period in teenagers is very crucial in the life of an individual and many frustrations may occur during this stage such as school drop out, sexual immorality, juveniles delinquencies to mention a few. Gone are those days when sexual matter was hidden from children. They are expected to be given information about sex so as to break through the desire in them so that they will not go astray. Sex desire can lead to sexual immorality which can result to unwanted pregnancy. Most unmarried teenagers who have babies are carried away by sexual feeling and emotional desire. This can lead to abortion, sexually transmitted disease and so on. Religious groups and a taboo to the generality of the society consider sexual intercourse between two persons who are not married wrong. It can result to unwanted child, psychological problem for person involved. Therefore sex education should be given to children at any developmental stage because the foundation laid in the early life of the children with determine the stability and quality of their married life. Sex education should be given to the teenagers through their parents, teachers, counselors and educators. It should also be introduced into secondary schools for teenagers of both sexes with this introduction alone, a lot of changes will occur in the life of the students, parents and the community at large.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

This study intends to emphasize the need for the introduction of sex education into secondary school and also to investigate, if sex education has positive or negative effect on students. This study also tries to find out the problems facing the teaching of sex education such as: · Who should teach sex education? · Where should sex education be taught? · At what age should sex education be taught? · Under what circumstances and the need for it to be introduced into the curriculum.