A study of the implementation of sex education in Hong Kong secondary schools

Sex education is not treated as an important subject in the school curriculum of Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Education Department issued in 1986 and 1997, respectively, two guidelines on sex education for schools' reference. The 1997 Guidelines cover a broader conceptual framework relating to different aspects of human sexuality and also include teaching strategies. Surveys by the Education Department in the early 1990s showed that there were a lot of problems in promoting sex education in schools. To see whether there had been any progress in sex education in the post-handover period to China from the United Kingdom, a working group of the Hong Kong Institute of Education carried out a study on this issue in the year 1999-2000. Data were collected through a survey and a small number of structured interviews. The study reveals that secondary schools are now generally more positive in promoting sex education and more interactive teaching methods are used. However, there are still a lot of constraints in the promotion of sex education in schools in Hong Kong. Copyright © 2005 Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business.