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Ahead of a trial in 18 schools in the coming semester, China’s first sex education textbooks for primary school students are generating controversy.
“Growing Steps” was written for students ages six to 12 by experts at the Beijing Sex Health Education Research Association (BSHERA). The books are divided into three age-based phases. But the appropriateness of the direct descriptions of sexual intercourse is being debated by parents and educators.
For example, a passage for six- to seven-year-olds reads: “To let sperm find the ovum as soon as possible, dad inserts his penis into mom’s vagina at full tilt and the sperm enters mom’s vagina.” It appears with illustrations of the intercourse-engaged penis and vagina.
“It’s too much for children. Is that simply porn pictures for kids? It is not healthy,” said one mother. Wu Ou, deputy chief editor of China’s popular science website Guokr.com, said the books’ wording needs to be softened for children. “It’s not wrong to describe sex in direct ways, but the sentences in the book are too rude, and even banned from our website,” which has an adult audience, said Wu.
Many Chinese schools avoid sex education, leaving the topic to parents or society. Sex education is particularly frowned upon by older generations, who crafted stories of how babies were “found,” said Lu Weihong, one of the book authors. In 2002, a proposed BSHERA sex education curriculum for junior middle-schoolers was dropped following strong protests from parents.
The new books integrate Western teachings with those of traditional Chinese culture and future-oriented perspectives. They are based in part on surveys of 453 fourth- and fifth-graders in 14 Beijing schools, said Lu.
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