Students and teachers demand better, more modern sexual education at schools

Sex education in schools must be improved and focus on more than just the biological aspects of having safe sex. Students, teachers, educational organizations, and expertise centers said this in a manifesto that they will hand to Education Minister Dennis Wiersma and Mariette Hamer, the government commissioner on sexually transgressive behavior, NU.nl reports.

“Recent events around sexually transgressive behavior show how important it is that young people learn to respect each other’s wishes and boundaries. With an understanding of diversity and with sexual pleasure as the starting point,” the manifesto reads.

Rutgers, the knowledge center on sexuality, initiated the manifesto. According to the center, young people score their sexual education a 5.8 out of ten, often citing that it lacks any information about sexual diversity. They also want it to be more extensive. “In addition to the biological aspects, they want to discuss the pleasurable, social, and relational aspects of sex.”

Teachers also want to pay more attention to sexual education, Rutgers said.

The initiators also think the timing of sexual education could be better. They want the topic also taught in upper secondary education and in senior secondary vocational education. The subject must also be in teacher training courses and colleges.

Schools have to pay attention to sexuality since 2012, but they are free to interpret this themselves. As a result, the degree of attention to the topic differs.

The initiators, therefore, called on the government to provide more space and more direction for this subject. “So that all children and young people have access to the same important information and that they all experience the school as a safe place where they can be themselves.”