Students To Be Taught You Are Harmful To Families

[Guest Erotictales]

Yesterday's article:

Before reading it, take note. The same Cornerstone Church has viciously champaigned against hiring of homosexuals in the civil service. They were founders of the champaign to further demonize homosexuals. They were allies of Thio Su Mien and Thio Li Ann. They supported Rony Tan's speech. And they were caught red handed harrassing students at schoolgates.

The Straits Times Apr 29, 2010

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SEXUALITY education programmes run by external organisations are returning to schools, close to a year after they were suspended.

The Education Ministry (MOE) has approved the programmes by six groups after a tender exercise that drew applications from 17.

From the end of next month, schools will be able to engage the services of Fei Yue Community Services, Cornerstone Community Services Centre, High Achievers Training Consultancy, Focus on the Family Singapore, Eka Training Group and Touch Youth.

Four of them - Fei Yue, Cornerstone, Focus on the Family and Touch Youth - are linked to Christian organisations.

However, in documents posted on the government e-procurement portal GeBIZ, MOE said students would be taught to understand sexuality attitudes and values 'in the context of Singapore's multi-religious and multiracial society'.

The ministry did not say why it chose the six, but the tender document said applicants needed a track record and experience in teaching sexuality education.

Applicants also had to state their stand and philosophy on five key issues - pre-marital sex, abortion, contraception, masturbation and homosexuality.

Last May, MOE suspended external sexuality education programmes after it discovered that a programme run by the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) had gone beyond its guidelines. Aware's instructor guide included responses that were criticised for promoting homosexuality or implying approval of pre-marital sex.

Before that, schools could hire external vendors to supplement MOE's programmes.

Aware had indicated it would not be applying to run its programme this time.

Responding to queries from The Straits Times, an MOE spokesman said that a vetting committee was formed last July to ensure that providers kept to the framework and guiding principles for sexuality education. She said the chosen programmes would be periodically audited.

The tender document said content should not be 'lewd or offensive to any ethnicity, gender or religion' and should teach 'positive values and attitudes of sexuality', with the heterosexual married family as the basic unit of society.

Among those not selected was the Family Life Society, a Catholic group which had run school programmes before the suspension. It did not respond to queries.

Another organisation with previous school programmes but not included now is the Singapore Planned Parenthood Association (SPPA).

SPPA president Edward Ong said its bid was not accepted because of an 'administrative error', and it would reapply next year.

Two of the six selected vendors told The Straits Times that their curricula included teaching abstinence from sex before marriage. The others did not respond or declined to provide details.

Pastor Daphne Yang, deputy senior pastor of Cornerstone Community Church, which is affiliated with the Cornerstone Community Services Centre, said its programme would communicate the importance of the family unit and the message that abstinence before marriage is 'possible and desirable'.

She said: 'We do not impose our beliefs, but we wish to teach the students responsibility and educate them on the consequences of the decisions they make.' Fei Yue will also promote abstinence as well as healthy dating habits, said its head of youth services, Ms Iris Lin.

MOE added that external programmes would complement sexuality education already in the curriculum.

Reactions from parents were mixed.

Mrs Catherine Gasper, 50, who has a 14-year-old son, said she felt pushing the abstinence message was right.

She said: 'I believe it is better to teach abstinence than 'safe sex', because that is no different from giving teens permission to experiment when they are too young.'

But Mr Mark Richman, 55, who has four children aged 15 to 28, felt that while it was good to encourage abstinence before marriage, teens needed to know about safe sex as well.

He said: 'In this day and age, teens are exposed to sex all the time in the media. They need to be aware of the dangers involved.'

The six chosen

Fei Yue Community Services began as a Family Service Centre founded in 1991 by the Chinese Christian Mission. It has run sexuality education programmes for students for the past eight years.

Cornerstone Community Services Centre has taught sexuality education in schools for about six years. It is an affiliate of Cornerstone Community Church, which has made known its objections to homosexuality in the past.

Touch Youth is an affiliate of Touch Community Services, set up in 1992 by senior pastor Lawrence Khong of Faith Community Baptist Church.

Eka Training Group is a private company that has taught sexuality education to secondary students for about five years.

High Achievers Training Consultancy, a private company, has run various programmes for students.

Focus on the Family Singapore, a non-profit organisation, runs a programme that encourages young people to abstain from sex until marriage. It also offers marriage and parenting courses.

[Guest bearded1]

Given the past problems with sexual abuse of young men by priests of the Catholic Church, it is perhaps unfortunate that one of the nominated parties is named Touch Youth!

Or are they sending their own (ironic) message??

[Guest boya]

How to have abstinence when we are talking about hormones raging teenagers? I started masturbating when I was 7 and having 'fun' with my one year older neighbour almost everyday day until my family moved house when U was 16. I couldn't remember a day pass by without me thinking about men and sex with men. I cannot imagine myself abstaining from sex for even one day! Let alone until the day I get married (if I get married!). MOE is defintely going backwards and mixing religion with sexual education will turn out to be the biggest mistake ever in this country ! I think the upper management of this country is really up their own alleys and really disengaged with reality and issues concerning humanity. Teenage boys and girls at that age should be encouraged to think for themselves and to be presented with case studies of both success and failures ranging from nuclear families to single parent family to same-sex couple families. How can we even call "abstinence" as a form of education??? IT is not education, it is bigotry!

[Guest Drea]

They getting vendor from religious backgrd? wad a joke....so are they gona use religious teaching to teach and guide the young teens who knows nothin...I think a neutral party should be better.

[Guest hypocrisy]

It seems the Ministry of Education isn't sure what they are doing. These vendors can say one thing now and they will teach something else when they are in class. They will discourage condoms and say all the bad things about it and promote abstinence,

What hypocrisy, one of the vendors is Touch Youth Service, which is started by Faith Community Church of Pastor Lawrence Khong.

It is a well known fact that Pastor Lawrence Khong's daughter has an illegitimate son. Now, if the daughter of a very powerful church pastor (the daughter is very close to her parents; mother is a doctor) cannot keep herself away from pre-marital sex with with man, you think the other girls who are not grounded in "christian love" can withstand the temptations?

I am not trying to nip-pick certain individuals, but I am trying to explain that abstinence is very dangerous and not work-able in this age and time.

Even worst when condoms are not encouraged or spoken. (I have nothing to do with condom sales).

The Ministry of Education has forgotten that in Singapore the number of girls under 18 undergone aborttion.

In 2006, 1391 teenagers had abortions.

Reference : http://www.asiaone.com/Just+Woman/Motherhood/Stories/Story/A1Story20070913-25259.html

and these are legal abortions, there are more if you include illegal ones.

Personally I think these religious sects are trying to gain grounds and members through the school programmes.

But one top of that, they are teaching children to hate homosexuality. The Ministry of Education has no way of supervising each and evey class lession.

[FattChoy88]

Well said, spot on.

One more aspect we must remember is, teens these days are so net-savy....

How to have abstinence when we are talking about hormones raging teenagers? I started masturbating when I was 7 and having 'fun' with my one year older neighbour almost everyday day until my family moved house when U was 16. I couldn't remember a day pass by without me thinking about men and sex with men. I cannot imagine myself abstaining from sex for even one day! Let alone until the day I get married (if I get married!). MOE is defintely going backwards and mixing religion with sexual education will turn out to be the biggest mistake ever in this country ! I think the upper management of this country is really up their own alleys and really disengaged with reality and issues concerning humanity. Teenage boys and girls at that age should be encouraged to think for themselves and to be presented with case studies of both success and failures ranging from nuclear families to single parent family to same-sex couple families. How can we even call "abstinence" as a form of education??? IT is not education, it is bigotry!

[Kage]

Correct me if I'm wrong. The teenagers in secondary schools are taught how to use a condom..they taught them but discourage the use of it...I find it simply ironic... It's just like saying "hey this is how you can use a condom to make love but don't do that okay!!???

[Kage]

Anyone finds that strange too? =/

Edited May 1, 2010 by kaze

[Guest boya]

Anyone finds that strange too? =/

Ya very strange. Its like getting a hunk with a 9inch dick to undress in front of you and the teacher stroke it and said, "Class, this is how you make this meat very hard, you see, like dat, like dat huh. Then maybe u get some nice nice sticky liquid after you stroke it for sometime, but dun be scared huh, can just lick it off like dat. But this is ony demonstration, please do not touch any big, veiny dick like this ok, ony after u get married then can ok? Class dismissed. Model come to my office ! "