Executive Summary

Social and Reproductive Health Education (SRHE) is the main component in Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR), and the achievement of optimal reproductive and sexual health plays an important role in the development of a healthy, strong, and resilient human being. 

Comprehensive Sexual Education (CSE) programmes in Malaysia, however, require several improvements to be made. Firstly it should be tailored to accommodate cultural understanding. Secondly, it should become a national CSE curriculum. Thirdly, there should be an increase in skills and knowledge among educators. Lastly, it needs parental involvement to complement the syllabus.

Today, it is the right time for the government to incorporate CSE by making it a formal curriculum subject. At the same time, retraining teachers to master the subject professionally is crucial. The government and NGOs can play their role by co-developing lesson materials, advocating for teacher-parent associations, and sharing best teaching practices. This is to ensure that institutions are provided with the best available resources that are age-appropriate while respecting local cultures and values. To ensure its reliability, periodic assessments of the subject will be carried out to ensure that the curriculum meets the objectives set for students to grasp the necessary information and skills related to sexual health and relationships.

Equally important is the parenting aspect, where the essential role of providing guidance, support, and positive communication about these highly sensitive issues is highly appreciated.

Support from Parents:

Equally important is the parenting aspect, where the essential role of providing guidance, support, and positive communication about these highly sensitive issues is highly appreciated. If parents start to talk about sexuality at home, students will be more open to react and interact.

Advocacy and Promotion:

Public awareness about sexual and reproductive health must be ramped up through the media and the education system. Outreach promotional activities, such as installing online applications like KafeTeen mobile apps, which are designed to help teens express themselves and consult with doctors and counsellors, need to be promoted to all teenagers.

Improve on Research: 

Comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) is a proven and cost-effective intervention program meant to promote healthy sexual behaviours, prevent unintended pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and gender-based violence, and promote gender equality and human rights. However, periodic research needs to be conducted gradually to improve its effectiveness and ensure that a multitude of socioeconomic benefits from investments in sexual and reproductive health (SRH) are realised.

Conclusion

Overall, while some progress has been made in recent years, there is still some room for improvement. Although mandatory sex education is undeniably imperative, apparent social barriers still hinder its implementation. Therefore, Malaysians have to work together to foster universally accepted sex education within society by implementing a suitable tailored curriculum based on professionally-verified CSE. Only then can our country progress towards a sexually safer and healthier nation.

Introduction

From 10 to 11 November 2022, more than 200 experts, policymakers, government officials, academicians and university students discussed population and family issues in Malaysia at this year’s National Population Conference (PERKKS22). The two-day event was organised by the National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN) under the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development (KPWKM). Partners included United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), University of Malaya (UM) and WMIT Group. Below, we present the discussions and recommendations on youth and sexual education in Malaysia that emerged during one of the panel sessions at the conference.

What’s going on in Malaysia?

Sexual education is a set of instructions of issues relating to human sexuality, including human sexual anatomy,sexual activity, sexual reproduction, safe sex and birth control, sexual health, reproductive health, emotional relations and responsibilities, age of consent and reproductive rights. Sex education that includes all these issues is therefore known as comprehensive sex education (CSE). Today, sex education might be available formally as part of school syllabus programs and through public health campaigns or informally provided by parents or caregivers.

 Nowadays, sexual and reproductive health among youth is at nerve-wracking level, even though the number of new antenatal cases among adolescents registered at Ministry of Health primary healthcare facilities has decreased from 11,024 (2017) to 7,560 (January – November 2021).

According to National Health and Morbidity Survey 2017,there has been an increase in cases of sexual behaviour among adolescents from 4.8 percent in 2014 to 7.3 percent in 2017, statistically. Besides that, 27 percent of respondents admitted to ever had sex before the age of 14 , and 11 percent of them reported having multiple sexual partners. 

What’s even more worrying is that an assessment shows that their knowledge about contraceptive use is low among those who are sexually active. Among those surveyed who had ever had sex, only a fraction of 12 percent said they used condoms, while 10 per cent said they used other forms of birth control.

Malaysia vs International

Historically, the Malaysian education system’s syllabus or component of sexual education has existed since 1989, but it was initially available only at the secondary school level. Four years later, in 1994, it was introduced in primary schools. Fast forward to 2010, sexual education was introduced in preschools and became part of various subjects like science, Islamic education, and moral education. The initial module was called Family Health Education before it was renamed Sexuality Education in 2003.

However, as the term “sexuality” was perceived negatively, the module was later renamed Reproductive Health and Social Education or Pendidikan Kesihatan Reproduktif dan Sosial (PEERS). Since 2011, it has been delivered as part of the Health Education subjects.

In the United Kingdom, for example, the Relationships Education program has been compulsory since September 2020 for all primary school pupils, while the Relationships and Sex Education program is tailored for secondary school. Health Education is also compulsory in all schools. This new curriculum is designed to be age-appropriate, starting with basic concepts in primary school and progressing to more complex topics in secondary school. It is also intended to be inclusive, recognizing the diversity of young people’s experiences and backgrounds.

In Australia, research is conducted every five years, and there is even a special research center that focuses on sexual education called the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society (ARCSHS). ARCSHS conducts world-class research and education on the social dimensions of sexuality, gender, and health in human relationships. This center collaboratively engages with researchers, communities, community-based organizations, government, and professionals to advance knowledge and promote positive changes in policy, practice, and people’s lives by advancing new knowledge and learning.

Challenges

In Malaysia, sexual education remains a sensitive and controversial issue that continues to be debated among various groups. Even though the government has implemented some sexual education in schools, it is primarily focused on abstinence and moral values rather than comprehensive sex education that covers topics such as contraception, sexual orientation, and sexual health.

There are also concerns about the lack of inclusivity and progressive attitudes among Malaysians when discussing gender and sexuality. Discrimination and challenges in accessing information and resources related to sexual health and education are causes of concern that need to be rectified.

The generation gap between parents and teenagers also becomes a stumbling block, as not all parents are able to talk openly about sexual and reproductive health. Moreover, even though topics on sexual education may have become a part of a school-based life skills curriculum, difficulties still exist, as some teachers might find it hard to teach the subjects comfortably.

In addition to misconceptions about sex, many teenagers lack awareness of what constitutes consent. Therefore, increased awareness about sexual consent and its laws is vital in protecting their rights and helping them make informed decisions. They need to know their rights and how to say ‘NO TO SEX’ to protect themselves.

Policies Supporting Sexual and Reproductive Health in Malaysia 

Recognising the importance of adolescent SRH, Malaysiahas implemented various policies, including the National Policy in Reproductive Health and Social Education (PEKERTI) and the Plan of Action, as well as Sexual and Reproductive Health Education (PEERS), which focus on reproductive health and comprehensive sex education (CSE). 

According to the Ministry of Education, the PEERS CSE program is an evidence-based, culturally sensitive, age-appropriate curriculum designed to help children “understand and prepare for experiences in life that deal with the physical, emotional, mental, and social aspects of human sexuality.” Continued, sustainable, and strategic investments in the PEERS program and the National Policy in Reproductive Health and Social Education (PEKERTI) are instrumental in ensuring strong educational outcomes for Malaysian adolescents in the coming decades. 

Meanwhile, the National Adolescent Health Policy 2001, introduced by the Ministry of Health, focuses on encouraging and ensuring the development of teenagers so that they realise their responsibility for their own health, empowering teenagers with solid knowledge and skills to enable them to practice healthy behaviour through active participation.

Recommendations

Improve Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE):

Malaysia’s current CSE programs must be improved through better cultural understanding, the introduction of a streamlined national CSE curriculum, an increase in the skills and knowledge of educators, and greater parental involvement.

The accessibility of youth-friendly establishment centres known as kafeTEEN by the National Population and Family Development Board (NPFDB) needs to be expanded to reach more places so that more adolescents will benefit from it.

CSE as Formal Curricular Subject:

Today, it is the right time for the government to incorporate CSE by making it a formal curriculum subject and simultaneously retrain teachers to master the subject professionally. Government and NGOs can play their role by co-developing lesson materials, advocating for teacher-parent associations, and sharing best teaching practices. This is to ensure that institutions receive the best available resources that are age-appropriate while respecting local cultures and values. To ensure its reliability, periodic assessments of the subject will be carried out to ensure that the quality of the curriculum meets the objectives set for students to grasp the necessary information and skills related to sexual health and relationships.