Sex Education To Be Expanded To 5,000 More Schools

[george]

Sex education to be expanded to 5,000 more schools

BANGKOK: -- The Office of Basic Education Commission (Obec) is going to expand sex education to 5,000 more schools to teach children selfesteem and sexual abstinence.

"Our sex education will focus on activities that make children aware of their values and honour," Obec secretarygeneral Khunying Kasama Varawarn said Monday.

Currently, Obec is also holding public hearings to gather opinions on how best to develop its central curriculum.

"We are gathering opinions in the North, the South and the Northeast," Kasama said.

-- The Nation 2008-02-18

[PeaceBlondie]

to teach children selfesteem and sexual abstinence.

"Our sex education will focus on activities that make children aware of their values and honour," Obec secretarygeneral Khunying Kasama Varawarn said Monday.

There's more to it than having honour and crossing your legs.

[traveller5000]

If they are going to do the abstinence=honor and selfesteem lecture, they should at least be kind enough to include masturbation lessons to the poor children, preferably some demonstrational video by senior members of the Office of Basic Education Commission.

[Ijustwannateach]

'Just Say No' doesn't work. Look forward to more teen pregnancies and AIDS, courtesy of government misspending and social cowardice. You would've thought they'd have learned lessons from the 80s and 90s....

[BigSnake]

Way to go Education Commission(OBEC) money well spend for sure.

[lordsux]

Got to be better than some teachers taking the task in their own hands.

[sonnyJ]

Read the headline and thought, great at least some positive news. How wrong I was.

PS

What are the polite words in Thai for these organs that are used when married and trying to have babies?

[oevna]

Read the headline and thought, great at least some positive news. How wrong I was.

PS

What are the polite words in Thai for these organs that are used when married and trying to have babies?

Polite, formal words:

vagina = ช่องคลอด -- "chong khlot" (the "o" in both words pronounced as the "o" in "stop", both words with a falling tone). This word literally means "birth hole" or "birth opening".

penis = องคชาต -- "ong-kha-chaat" (note that the "o" in "ong" is like the "o" in "cone", not as in "stop", and "chaat" has a falling tone).

sexual intercourse = ร่วมประเวณี -- "ruam-bpra-wei-nee" ("ruam" has a falling tone), or ร่วมเพศ "ruam-peht" (see below for the pronunciation of "peht").

sex organ = อวัยวะเพศ -- "a-wai-wa-peht" (the "eh" in "peht" like the "a" in "gate", drawn out, with a falling tone).

These are definitions from a dictionary. I have never heard any of them ever used in conversation. There are a great many common and vulgar words for the sex organs and the sex act in the Thai language (as in most languages) which are much more commonly used in conversation, however their use in polite company might be frowned upon. My understanding of the subtleties of their relative politeness and vulgarities is not very keen. I would consult an actual Thai person for advice in that area.

I hope this post hasn't violated any of the forum rules. Apologies if it has. Moderators: feel free to delete this if it is seen as in poor taste.

[sonnyJ]

Thanks oevna, especially for the Thai script, you seem to be an expert on these things.

What I don't understand is that why there is a word for sex organ, so it can be used for both genders?? Guess that's as far they will ever go at schools..

[gunnyd]

Hope they aren't accepting any money from US under G.W. Bush. Then it will be fairy tales about abstinence being the only way. That HIV/AIDS is transmitted through sweat, tears, and toilet seats, that abortion causes mental disease and infertility, among other things that come from our enlightened Evangelical Christian Right. Kids are going to "do it" no matter what you teach them. It is better to arm them with good information on safe sex then to be naive and think that if we don't tell them about birth control and condoms and expect them to stay virgins until they marry.

GunnyD

[oevna]

Thanks oevna, especially for the Thai script, you seem to be an expert on these things.

Thanks, I'm flattered, but I wouldn't call myself an expert. I was lucky enough to be in a situation a few years ago where I had an opportunity to study Thai language and then work in Thailand (as a volunteer English teacher upcountry), and some of it has stuck with me. I think chatting up the waitresses at local Thai restaurants over the years might have helped.

What I don't understand is that why there is a word for sex organ, so it can be used for both genders?? Guess that's as far they will ever go at schools..

That word translates literally to "sex organ", so Thai has a word for sex organ in exactly the same way that English does. As in English, you can say "male sex organ" or "female sex organ" by qualifying that with the Thai word for male or female, respectively:

อวัยวะเพศหญิง -- "a-wai-wa-peht ying", literally "female sex organ"

อวัยวะเพศชาย -- "a-wai-wa-phet chaai", literally "male sex organ"

[oevna]

Hope they aren't accepting any money from US under G.W. Bush. Then it will be fairy tales about abstinence being the only way. That HIV/AIDS is transmitted through sweat, tears, and toilet seats, that abortion causes mental disease and infertility, among other things that come from our enlightened Evangelical Christian Right. Kids are going to "do it" no matter what you teach them. It is better to arm them with good information on safe sex then to be naive and think that if we don't tell them about birth control and condoms and expect them to stay virgins until they marry.

GunnyD

Mechai Viravaidya had an approach that seemed to work back in the early '90s with his sex education programfor sex workers. Maybe they will model this new program after one with a proven track record.

To quote that article:

In 2004, Mechai again became a senator. As of 2007, he continues to oversee rural development and health initiatives as the Chairman of PDA. On May 29, 2007 PDA was awarded the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's Gates Award in recognition of its pioneering work in family planning and HIV/AIDS prevention.

I wonder if he is part of this project. If so, it seems he is getting his money from Bill Gates. The original post says that they are gathering opinions in the North, South, and Northeast for how to best develop the project's central curriculum, which sounds pretty vague to me.

Edited February 19, 2008 by oevna

[slapout]

They can combine the sex education with the 20,000 new computors. Get it hooked to internet and viola, immediate knowledge for the little munchkins.

[John K]

All the more reason why parents should seek out private counselors qualified to teach sex education if they are unwilling to teach their children themselves. In a few hours spent with quality sex education they can certainly save their child a lot of hardship in the future. In every country I can think of the private sector does a better job than the government no matter what function.

[ericB]

back in the70' my country (France) started to include sexual education at school. In fact it was more reproduction by the mamals we studied. I do believe human are mamals, so at least we learned how kids come.

We did not learn what was a BJ (fire soldier in french slang), nor all the subtilities of the 70 positions of the Kamasoutra, but at least we all learned : 1 mn of pleasure, 9 month of waiting and then one more mouth to feed. I suppose it avoided some unwanted pregancies.

Must I precise the test questions were quite basic but usefull :

1) what is needed inside a female mamal reproductive organs to possibly make a kid? (you must give 2 elements)

2) Does a femal mamale can be pregnant if no male had a full intercourse with her

3) does femal mamale can be pregnant at anytime of the year, or only in some period. If the later, give exemples.

4) Does the human race is considered as a mamal and follow the same reproductions rules?

Funny, 30 years after I remenber them.

Personnaly it did not shock me with regards to my religious beliefs, nor made felt I was loosing my self esteem. And at least I became fully aware that I could be a father quie easily if I did not taken care of some aspect of my sexual life.