School's sex life survey riles parents
SEREMBAN - A questionnaire distributed to primary school pupils in Nilai near here has touched a raw nerve among parents as it asks the children if they engaged in sexual activities, had homosexual tendencies or multiple sexual partners.
The children were also asked if they had engaged in unnatural sexual acts, masturbated and if they ever used condoms or other contraceptive.
In the five-page questionnaire allegedly distributed in the school, female pupils were also asked when they had their first period, if they were pregnant, and if they had ever suffered a miscarriage.
A parent of a 10-year-old pupil, outraged at the kind of questions put before the children, brought the matter up with Nilai assemblyman J. Arul Kumar, who then referred it to the Education Department.
Arul, himself a former teacher, said any parent would have been shocked by the set of questions.
"We do not know for sure who distributed these questions but whoever did it should be dealt with accordingly," he said.
State Education director Datuk Kalsom Khalid said preliminary investigations revealed that questions were distributed to several schools in Nilai by the Nilai health clinic.
"This has nothing to do with us. They did so without obtaining approval from the state education department," she said.
Kalsom said the affected schools have been told not to distribute the offending questionnaires.
"We are still investigating the matter," she said.
The pupils were also asked if they watched pornography or if they had any lovers. Another section in the questionnaire asked the pupils questions on sexual diseases, such as if they suffered from itch around their genitals or experienced pain when urinating.
They were also asked if they had ever been required to undergo HIV testing, consumed alcohol or were addicted to substances.
"This is ridiculous and beyond comprehension," said Arul.
"Which sick person would subject a young mind to such questions?"
However, he would not divulge the name of the school until the department concludes its investigation.
.jpg)
