By Irene Tham

In the latest twist in the long-running saga over sexuality education, the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) says that it will not offer its programme to schools for now.

Called Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE), the programme was the subject of a huge controversy last year as it was found to have gone beyond the guidelines set by the Ministry of Education (MOE).

Aware president Dana Lam told The Sunday Times that it 'has not offered CSE to the MOE' for vetting.

She said that the programme has been 'badly misrepresented by a few people who have had no experience with it'.

However, she added: 'We hope that the discussions generated on related issues would mean that other vendors are now more aware of and more prepared to address the real needs of the young.

'We are happy to leave it to them, and to focus our energies on other pressing gender issues that are not receiving sufficient attention now.' These include sexual harassment, violence against women and unfair dismissal of pregnant women.

The basic instructor's guide for CSE had contained lines which condoned homosexuality and stated that anal sex was 'healthy' if consensual and done with a condom.

An outcry among concerned parents prompted the ministry to suspend all programmes run by external groups like Aware in May last year and to start vetting these groups.

One parent, who wrote to the ministry last year to protest against Aware's programme, is glad that it will not be taught in schools.

'We should know what our children are getting. I am happy that Aware's programme is not in,' said Madam Chen Fei Huang, 39, mother of two children aged 12 and 10.

But Ms Lam said that Aware will 'continue to keep a lookout for what needs might arise' in the area of sexuality education.

Schools, which used to have the autonomy to hire external vendors of sexuality education programmes, now have to choose from a list from MOE.

The ministry said it is finalising the list, which is slated for release early this year.

Prior to the suspension, about five organisations including Aware provided external programmes to schools.

These agencies were the Singapore Planned Parenthood Association, Family Life Society, Fei Yue Community Services and Focus on the Family Singapore.

Their materials supplemented MOE's own sexuality programme, which is incorporated into science, health education and civics and moral education lessons for upper primary to junior college levels.

Although some of the groups are religion-based, their programmes are tailored for children of all backgrounds.

Some teach children that homosexual acts are wrong while others take a more neutral stance.

A spokesman for Family Life Society said it has submitted its programme 'as is' to MOE but declined further comment.

Fei Yue Community Services declined to comment on its programme, which is still pending approval from MOE.

Singapore Planned Parenthood Association and Focus on the Family Singapore did not respond by press time.

Ms Josie Lau, 49, former president of Aware, declined to comment.

She became president of the group on April 15 last year. But she and her new executive committee - with members from the same church Ms Lau attended - were unseated after a vote of no confidence at a stormy extraordinary general meeting on May 2.

They were accused of taking over Aware in a stealthy manner. The new members had disapproved of the organisation's sexuality education programme, saying it promoted homosexuality.

itham@sph.com.sg

This article was first published in The Straits Times.