IN THE latest twist in the long-running saga over sexuality
education, the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware)
says that it will not offer its programme to schools for now.
Called Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE), the programme
was the subject of a huge controversy last year as it was found to
have gone beyond the guidelines set by the Ministry of Education
(MOE).
Aware president Dana Lam told The Sunday Times that it 'has not
offered CSE to the MOE' for vetting.
She said that the programme has been 'badly misrepresented by a
few people who have had no experience with it'.
However, she added: 'We hope that the discussions generated on
related issues would mean that other vendors are now more aware of
and more prepared to address the real needs of the young.
'We are happy to leave it to them, and to focus our energies on
other pressing gender issues that are not receiving sufficient
attention now.' These include sexual harassment, violence against
women and unfair dismissal of pregnant women.
--ST