The Methodist Church in Fiji says any type of sex education taught in schools should be conveyed from a moral perspective.
Speaking in response to questions raised by the Fiji Times newspaper about explicit sex education for Year 7 and Year 8 students, the church’s secretary for education, Waisake Ravatu, said they were already aware of and had raised concerns with the Education Ministry about sex education in a subject called Healthy Living.
Concerns have been raised by parents, grandparents and the Fiji Teachers Union about what children were taught.
The grandparent of a child at a prominent primary school in Lautoka has raised his concerns about sexually explicit material being taught and boyfriend-girlfriend relationships being encouraged during Healthy Living classes.
“I cannot believe they are exposing 11 and 12-year-old children to these types of teachings because it goes totally against what we teach our children at home,” said the grandparent.
“My grandson was very upset by what was taught because we teach our children Christian beliefs that build character by upholding the virtues in the Holy Bible.”
The Fiji Teachers Union has called on the Ministry of Education to immediately remove sex education material in text books for Years 7 and 8 students.
Teachers have said since the subject was introduced last year, there had been a marked change in the behaviour of students of the opposite sex towards each other.
Education Minister Dr Mahendra Reddy has ordered an investigation into claims by concerned parents that inappropriate information was being shared in the Year 7 and Year 8 Healthy Living tutorials.
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