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Should sex education be taught in schools?
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Sex education is a waste of valuable class time

Classroom time would be better spent on subjects that parents can't teach effectively.
Education Sex Sexuality

Context

We need to maximise the time children spent in school. They would be far better served using their contact time with a teacher to learn subjects that parents cannot teach them. Because parents can competently teach sex education, it is a waste of valuable class time to teach it in schools.

The Argument

Lesson time would be better spent on something that parents can’t teach, like mathematics, history, science or music, than a subject that parents can teach like sex education. Sex education has no academic merit and is largely unstimulating for most children. It does not develop their ability to develop abstract thought and provides no deeper understanding of life and the world around us. As a result, there is no need to teach it in schools.[1] Instead of teaching children about sex, schools should focus their efforts on fostering creativity, improving productivity and developing the skills that will enable adolescents to thrive in the working world.[2]

Counter arguments

What subject is more important and integral to your child’s future health and wellbeing than sex? Subjects like maths and science, while still important, are only useful to a portion of future careers and lifestyles. Sex is relevant to all of us. Sex education also goes well beyond teaching the mechanics of sexual intercourse. It teaches tolerance, the definition of consent, and the scientific processes involved in contraception. Many parents are not able to teach these subjects, either because they themselves do not know, or because they are unable to effectively communicate with their child about sensitive topics like sex and relationships.

Proponents

Premises

[P1] Students need to make the most of the time spent in the classroom to further their education. [P2] Parents can teach sex education, unlike subjects like maths and science. [P3] Therefore, teaching sex education in schools is not a good use of teachers' time and should be left to parents.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P2] Many parents cannot effectively teach sex education.

References

  1. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/4792067/Sex-education-or-real-education.html
  2. https://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/81307
This page was last edited on Wednesday, 4 Nov 2020 at 17:02 UTC

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