Mockery about sex education | The Standard

There is an old saying that goes something like this: “Never make trouble until trouble makes you angry.”

While these may not be the wisest words ever, Hong Kong is facing a storm when it comes to sex education, and it could have been averted if the officials responsible for sex education policy had looked at the issue realistically – or at least tried to.

The Department of Education is introducing an updated sex education curriculum for middle school students.

The subject of civics, economics and society includes advice on what teenagers should and should not do to keep their natural desires under control.

In case of sudden, impulsive desire, it is suggested to play badminton instead to avoid premarital sex.

To demonstrate their willingness to abstain from sex early, students are encouraged to sign a commitment statement in the presence of a witness.

To achieve this radical goal, education officials have included a template in the teaching material that students can copy.

This is truly amazing and so incredibly creative that you can finally understand how taxpayers' money is used to finance brains that are only able to see things in black and white.

Perhaps Education Minister Christine Choi Yuk-lin should have sought the opinion of lawmaker Eunice Yung Hoi-yan, who set a precedent in the Legislative Council by proudly announcing that she was four months pregnant just a month after her wedding to Derek Yuen Mi-chang in 2018.

Perhaps Choi should also have consulted CEO John Lee Ka-chiu before giving the green light to this rather bizarre learning package.

Most parents would agree that sex education should be introduced into schools at an early age.

Instead of the increasing use of gender-neutral references in teaching, which has caused great concern among parents in the West, many parents here believe that a return to conservative values ​​might be a good idea.

At home, they discuss right and wrong with their children, and sex is also part of the family conversations.

But it is out of the question for parents to demand a written commitment from their children to refrain from doing this or that, even though they know that this would be counterproductive.

Lawmaker Chu Kwok-keung was right when he pointed out that the way Choi's office is tackling the issue has met with little approval in society.

The agency has indeed “stirred up unrest before unrest becomes unrest.”

Hardly anyone would dispute the overarching goal of sex education, but the way in which the authorities pursue this goal will inevitably lead to unrest.

Chu's Legco colleague Doreen Kong Yuk-foon can be forgiven for ridiculing the ridiculous advice that young people who feel a sexual impulse should play badminton by asking on Facebook: “How can [they] book a badminton court at such short notice?”

Perhaps Kong is unaware that teenagers can easily play badminton on playgrounds – and perhaps they are also unaware that “badminton” also has a sexual connotation in local slang.

It's more likely to stimulate fantasies than help you stay cool.