Responses of Officals

Members of the Legislative Council criticised the teaching method to be outdated and does not align to social norms of new generation. In contrast, secretary of education Christine Choi defended the approach, stating that the teaching is not conservative but rather to protect secondary students. The Education Bureau responded to the controversy with a firm stance against premarital sex, stating that it should be firmly rejected by students in order to prevent them from making irreversible mistakes while the curriculum is designed to raise students’ awareness on preventing premarital sex. 

Scenario: Badminton

Other teaching materials include scenario questions depicting a teenage boy Sau Lai resisting sexual desire to consume pornographic content and avoiding any intimate actions with his teenage girlfriend Tsz Ching. Criticism has arised from professionals and across the internet due to the suggested solution of “go out to play badminton together in the sports hall”. Current secondary school students have expressed their confusion towards how playing badminton relates to managing sexual impulse, with parents advocating for clearer explanations of the importance of avoiding such impulses. Nonetheless, the phrase ‘let’s play badminton together’ has taken on a double meaning, becoming a code for sex as Hong Kong Olympic badminton athletes have joked about it on social media. 

Victim Blaming

In one of the scenarios (picture 2 and 3), Tsz Ching took off her jacket with a tank top underneath and clung close to Sau Lai’s shoulder. Her actions were identified to be visual and sensory stimulation causing Sau Lai’s sexual impulse. The model answer to avoid Sau Lai being sexually aroused is to request Tsz Ching to sit properly. Doris Chong, the executive director of the Association Concerning Sexual Violence Against Women, expressed her concern that this message will feed into victim-blaming. In an interview with seven secondary school students conducted by Now News, the participants perceived the scenario as a reflection of gender inequality. They noted that males often hold the dominant position in deciding whether to pursue sexual relationships, while females frequently lack the power to make their own choices and feel pressured to comply. 

Lack of Sex Education

Hong Kong’s adolescent birth rate fell to just 1.571 per 1000 females aged 15-19 in 2022, a significant decrease from 5.113 per 1000 from 2000. This trend suggests improvements in sex education on family planning and pregnancy prevention. However, the students interviewed commonly expressed that sex education provided at school is insufficient. They attributed this to the low priority given to sex education within the curriculum and the limited time allocated for sex education. According to a survey conducted by the Family Planning Association of Hong Kong in 2021, Form 3 to Form 6 (year 10 to year 13) student’s level of sexual knowledge remains unsatisfactory and Form 1 to Form 2 students remained undesirably low. The students emphasised the need for sex education that focuses on how females can handle sexual requests from male and provides information on how to prevent unwanted pregnancy. The Manager of the Education Division of the Family Planning Association of Hong Kong advocates for sex education to become a standalone subject. This curriculum should not only cover topics like contraception but also promote gender equality. It should emphasise that both male and female share equal responsibility regarding sex and schools should work to reduce harmful gender stereotypes.

Bibliography

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3BMWZPWRMc

https://news.now.com/home/local/player?newsId=578967

https://www.edb.gov.hk/attachment/en/curriculum-development/kla/pshe/references-and-resources/ces/support_materials_S3/M3.1%20(Part2)%20Sexuality_e_2023%20Dec_clean.pdf

https://www.famplan.org.hk/en/media-centre/press-releases/detail/report-on-youth-sexuality-study-2021-secondary-school-survey

World Bank, Adolescent Fertility Rate for Hong Kong SAR, China, retrieved from FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis; https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/SPADOTFRTHKG  Accessed on October 23, 2024.

Wang and Ives, New York Times, “Fighting Sexual Temptation? Play Badminton, Hong Kong Tells Teenagers.” Aug 26, 2024 retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/26/world/asia/hong-kong-sex-education-badminton.html#:~:text=What%20should%20he%20do%3F,sex%20education%20materials%20are%20regressive.

Accessed on Oct 25, 2024

SCMP, “Hong Kong authorities use ‘unprofessional’ teaching materials for sex education: experts” Aug 26, 2024, retrieved from:

https://www.scmp.com/yp/discover/news/hong-kong/article/3275898/hong-kong-authorities-use-unprofessional-teaching-materials-sex-education-experts#

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HK01 

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