The question whether instruction in sex hygiene should be given in the elementary schools of the London County Council has been under consideration by the Council's elementary education sub-committee for the last 12 months, and the results of their deliberations were published yesterday. Briefly, their decision is that the teaching of sex hygiene as a class subject is not advisable in the elementary schools, but that teachers should be trained to deal properly with the repression of undesirable habits in children under their care; and that some instruction or guidance on the subject should be given in secondary schools to adolescent pupils and to students attending evening classes. They also draw attention to the moral dangers arising from lack of supervision of parks and open spaces. Their recommendations will be considered at a meeting of the Education Committee of the County Council to-day.
The sub-committee state that the question had been increasingly engaging the attention of managers of schools and those interested in education during the last few years, and in April of last year they appointed a section to inquire whether teaching of sex matters was advisable in the elementary schools, and, if so, whether it should be given as a regular class subject or privately and only in cases where the head teacher thought it desirable. These were the main heads of the inquiry, but further aspects of the question were discussed as they were raised during its proceedings. The section appointed consisted of Miss C. S. Bulcraig, Mr. G. L. Bruce and the Rev. J. Scott Lidgett, together with the chairman (Lord Hill) and the vice-chairman (Mr. H. C. Gooch) of the sub-committee, and the chairman (Mr. John W. Gilbert) and the vice-chairman (Mr. Oscar E. Warburg) of the Education Committee. Upon their report the sub-committee's decisions and recommendations are based.
DIFFICULTY OF THE TASK
The section reported that in no circumstances should sex hygiene be introduced into class teaching for reasons which are summarized as follows. In the first place, the knowledge of children in such matters depends very largely upon the type of home from which they are drawn. Where, as is unfortunately too commonly the case, the parents and children live in one room, in which all the events of life and death take place, the knowledge of the children must be very different from that of children who come from a home where they are carefully guarded and who may obtain no information of this kind until they are over 14 years of age. In these circumstances, they remark, it would be a task of the greatest difficulty to teach this subject satisfactorily in class, since, while to some children the facts are already known, there are others to whom the knowledge might come as a shock. Moreover, a method of treatment of this subject which might benefit one child might harm another, since children's temperaments differ.
In the second place, the section feel strongly that speaking of these subjects in class must tend to break down the children's natural modesty and reserve. Children naturally feel that, if their teacher talks about a matter, they can talk about it too, and a medical witness gave evidence of the undesirable conversations which took place among the children in one of the Council's schools where definite class teaching was given. This opinion was endorsed by all the witnesses except one.
The section however, strongly approved of private instruction, advice, or warning in individual cases, either by communicating with the parents (but separately, not in meetings of parents) or by talking to the children. One head teacher, thought that the cooperation of parents in keeping a watch over the children out of school was specially important in view of the excessive freedom now so frequently allowed to young girls. Special stress was also laid on the value of warning the elder children when about to leave school of the dangers and temptations to which they would be exposed. In connexion with this the section urged that teachers in training should be instructed how to handle the difficulties of the growing child.
SUPERVISION OF OPEN SPACES
In their general consideration of the subject the section came to the conclusion that sex education was advisable for children over 14 in the higher schools, and also at the evening institutes. They add that their attention was drawn to the evils which appear to arise out of lack of supervision of parks and open spaces.
The sub-committee, on this report of the section and the evidence submitted with it, have adopted their findings as set out above, and they submit to the Education Committee their recommendations as follows :-
(a) That the teaching of sex hygiene as a class subject in public elementary schools be not approved; and that the Council be informed accordingly.
(b) That the attention of the Parks and Small Holdings and Allotments Committee and all other authorities responsible for open spaces in and around London be drawn to the moral dangers arising from insufficient supervision.
(c) That the report on the teaching of sex hygiene and precis of the evidence, together with the memoranda containing - (i.) Information for the use of girls on leaving school, and (ii.) Information for parents, teachers, and ministers of religion, for the purpose of safeguarding girls seeking employment be printed and circulated to every head teacher of the public elementary schools provided or maintained by the Council; that expenditure not exceeding ú25 be sanctioned therefore; and that the report be placed on sale.
(d) That the memoranda entitled "Information for the use of girls on leaving school" and "Information for parents, teachers, and ministers of religion, for the purpose of safeguarding girls seeking employment", be printed and distributed - the former document by means of the teachers of senior mixed and girls' departments of public elementary schools provided or maintained by the Council, and the latter by the teachers, correspondents, and others: and that expenditure not exceeding ú30 be sanctioned therefore.
