Early sex teaching divides C.W.I.

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33904, 25 July 1975, Page 5

Early sex teaching divides C.W.I.

(N.Z. Press Association» HAMILTON, July 24. Views on sex education at an early primary ! school level have been sharply divided at the annual national meeting of Country Women’s Institutes in Hamilton. The Matamata County Women's Institute presented for discussion the subject “that C.W.I. members strongly protest to the Minister of Education against the proposed introduction of sex education in primary schools for five to six-year-old scholars.”

“Keep in mind the inno-; cence of children and how quickly it is lost,” Mrs P. Buckley of the Waikato federation said in presenting the topic. She claimed it as the right of parents to instruct their children and said there were insufficient people capable of giving the proposed tuition correctly. Mrs S. Kempton (South Otago Federation) said the proposed programme was not j only on sex but also on human development and relationships.

“If we would only answer the questions of our five-year-olds truthfully as they ask them,” she said. Several spoke in favour of the human relationships programme, stressing the need to start early with the education of children.

They felt that if children had been given the proper tuition by parents then there was no harm in hearing the facts repeated by teachers at school. “Many of us are grandmothers and the idea of sex education seems terrible. But the booklets are not compiled by no-hopers. They are prepared by people who know young children and young children’s minds, and that’s the way it should be,”! said Mrs P. McKay (Mid-! Otago Federation). The final word opposing the initial suggestion came from the floor of the meeting. “Those who should be dis-1 cussing this matter are the; parents of five and six-year-old children. It’s their right rather than ours.”

House of Gordon.—Mr Brian Hom has been elected I president of the New Zealand branch of the House of Gordon Association. Mrs S. G. Mac Lean and Miss Allison Gordon have been elected jointly to the office of secretary-treasurer.