How can we educate children about s...

Egypt's Dar Al-Ifta

How can we educate children about sexual issues? Is sexual education in schools allowed in Islam?

Question

How can we deal as parents with the issue of the sexual education of children from the perspective of Islamic jurisprudence? Are the parents the only responsible party of educating their children on this issue? Is there a certain starting age for such education like seven or ten year old children or should it be done when they reach puberty? Also what is the Islamic stance on teaching sexual education for children in schools?

Answer

 

The issue of the sexual education of children is a meticulous process which needs a scrupulous balance in guiding and educating them on this issue.

The educator needs to be able to deal with the child with what suits his environment, age, intellectual ability and his capacity to discern the received information. This educational process needs to be conducted with specific methodological studies done by specialists in psychology, sociology and educators to determine the best method which suits the child and this method may very well differ due to differences in the child’s environment and social surrounding. Also differences may stem from variations in the age group of children.

Both the school and the parents should take part in this educational process. Parents for example bear the responsibility of explaining to their children the biological and the physiological changes that the child goes through so he or she would be able to handle it properly without leaving any negative effects on his behavior with others. As for school teachers and educators, they should be responsible for guiding and organizing the relationship between the two genders. All these explanations should be carried out theoretically through explanatory graphs and demo figures without turning to practical methods unless there is a necessity which should be exceptional.
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