A survey has found that a majority of respondents showed support for the promotion of sex education in schools, according to the Chinese University of Hong Kong which announced the result on Tuesday.

The Department of Social Work at the Chinese University commissioned the Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies to conduct a telephone survey on the public attitude towards sex education in schools last November.

The survey has successfully interviewed 821 respondents and the results revealed that 84.6 percent believed that it is very important for schools to provide sex education for children and adolescents; 67.9 percent agreed that sex education should be a compulsory subject for all primary and secondary students.

Concerning the content of sex education in schools, 96 percent respondents agreed that children and adolescents should be taught correct concept and attitude towards sex; over 60 percent said the content should include methods of using condoms and other contraceptive devices.

The survey concluded that the majority of the respondents agreed that the provision of sex education in schools is very important as it would bring positive impacts.

Program Director of Hong Kong AIDS Concern Winnie Ho Sze Ki said that sex did not simply refer to sex behavior and sex education should not only focus on teaching sex knowledge but also giving students a guide to distinguish correct values.

While some experts said that Hong Kong lacks a comprehensive sex education program and suggested that sex education in primary and middle schools should include contents related to dating and marriage in order to set up a systematic program.

(Xinhua News Agency January 29, 2008)