‘Ministries erred on sex survey in schools’

A PIBG chairman says Health and Education Ministries have failed to ensure the controversial health survey was suitable for students.

SEREMBAN: The Health Ministry and Education Ministry have failed to ensure that the questions in the controversial health survey on sexual behaviour conducted in three schools in Nilai were suitable for the respective age group, said a Parent-Teacher Association (PIBG) chairman.

Sekolah Kebangsaan St Paul, Seremban, PTA chairman Adrian Abraham said he could not believe there were excessive questions based on sexual activities, and felt that the real damage had been done.

“The panel preparing the questionnaires, Health Ministry, Education Ministry, and the schools have failed in preparing the right questions for the age group.

“These are the people who are supposed to make sure the questionnaires are correct and suitable for the respective age group. In this case we are talking about the age group of 10 years to 12 years.

“The Health Ministry should have reviewed the questionnaires to target the right age group.

“I am disappointed but my school management would never have allowed such a survey to be conducted,” said Abraham.

He said the Education Ministry could not claim that someone walked into the school and conducted the survey.

“It’s your premises and you should vet the questionnaires, check whether it is suitable for students in the age group of 10-12 years, before the survey can be conducted.

“I’m not sure if the state health department had the Education Ministry’s approval,” he said.

Sekolah Kebangsaan Puteri, Seremban, PTA chairman Dr Zuraidah Mohamad said she supported the survey but felt that if the questions were excessive and not suitable, it should then be reviewed.

“The main objective of the survey is to identify students with problems related to social ills.

“Nowadays students at any age group are free to get information from the internet and there are things they are not supposed to access at the young age.

“However if there are questions which are not suitable for our culture then the Health Ministry should review the questions,” she added.

Bitter taste

Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar meanwhile said the survey left a bitter taste in the mouth of parents.

“What is the basis for asking such inappropriate questions to schoolchildren? she asked.

“I am upset at this blatant invasion over the lives of schoolchildren,” said Nurul Izzah.

DAP national women wing chief and Padang Lalang state assemblyperson Chong Eng said the survey might be good in identifying the sexual behaviour of youths.

“However, the respective ministries and all the concerned parties must review the questionnaires and break it up into three age groups — 10 to 13, 14 to 15 and 16 to 19.

“This is more effective rather than prepare the same questionnaires for youths aged between 10 and 19.

“I believe there are not many students involved in sexual activities between the age of 10 and 12,” she said.

Preventing social problems

Last week, Negeri Sembilan health department director Dr Zailan Adnan said the health survey conducted at schools was to prevent social problems among youths.

She said the survey was not only conducted in Negeri Sembilan but nationwide by the ministry for the past three years.

Zailan said the questions were prepared by specialists in each field to prevent social problems among youths.

She also said the survey also contained questions on health, smoking, food and other health- related questions.

“The sexually-related questions were only part of the questions in the survey form,” Zailan added.

Earlier this week FMT reported that parents were upset over the survey which sought answers from 10 year olds at Sekolah Desa Jasmin in Nilai on their sexual activities.

FMT’s attempts to contact the Sekolah Desa Jasmin’s headmaster and the school’s PIBG chairman this morning failed as one of the staff said the headmaster was on medical leave.