Sex education is the study on sex and relationships. It is a process of acquiring information, forming attitudes, beliefs about sex, sexual identity, relationships and intimacy. Sex education is a means for young people, to protect themselves against exploitation, abuse, sexually transmitted diseases, unintended pregnancies and HIV/AIDS.

The objective of Sex education is to reduce the risks of negative outcomes from sexual behaviour like unwanted pregnancies, infection with sexually transmitted diseases and to enhance the quality of relationships. 

Sex education develops young people's skills in negotiation, decision-making, assertion & listening,  being able to recognize pressures from other people and to resist them, deal with and challenge prejudice, seek help from adults - including parents, carers and professionals - through the family, community and health & welfare services. Sex education also enables young people to differentiate between accurate & inaccurate information, discuss a range of moral & social issues and perspectives on sex & sexuality, different cultural attitudes & sensitive issues like sexuality, abortion and contraception.

Young people are exposed to a wide range of attitudes & beliefs, which sometimes appear contradictory and confusing as sex and sexuality are sensitive subjects. They are interested in the moral and cultural frameworks that binds sex & sexuality. 

It may be true that young people should not have sex until they are married, but it doesn't imply withholding important information about safer sex and contraception. Rather than trying to frighten young people away from having sex, we should work on attitudes, beliefs, skills development, enabling young people to choose whether or not to have sex considering the potential risks of any sexual activity. Sex education provides young people the reasons why people have sex, how it involves emotions, respect for one self and others, their feelings, decisions etc. They should know the gender differences and how sexuality can influence people's feelings and decide what are the positive qualities of relationships themselves.

Young people get information about sex and sexuality from a wide range of sources including each other, through the media including advertising, television and magazines, as well as leaflets, books and websites, which are intended to be sources of information about sex and sexuality. Some of this will be accurate and some inaccurate. Sex education is, therefore, about finding out what young people already know and adding to their existing knowledge and correcting any misinformation they may have. If correct information is not provided, young people can put themselves at greater risk. On the basis of correct information, young people can developed well-informed attitudes and views about sex & sexuality. 

They need information on Sexual development, Reproduction, Contraception, Relationships, Physical & Emotional changes associated with puberty and about sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS. They should know about birth control - what contraceptives are - how they work - how people use them & how they can be obtained. They should know about relationships, commitment, love, marriage & partnership, the law relating to sexual behaviour & relationships and the religious and cultural views on sex & sexuality. Information about abortion, sexuality and confidentiality should be provided to them.

Sex education should be given early, before young people reach puberty, before they have developed established patterns of behaviour. The exact age, at which sex education should be given, depends on the physical, emotional & intellectual development of the young people and their level of understanding. Providing basic information laid the foundation on which more complex knowledge is built up over time. Information about viruses and germs that attack the body should be provided when they are young. This provides the basis for talking to them later about infections that can be caught through sexual contact.

Some people opined that providing information about sex & sexuality arouses curiosity & can lead to sexual experimentation, which is not true. Young people can store up information provided at any time, for a time when they need it later on.

An open relationship should be maintained with young people which provides them with opportunities to ask questions when they need it. Naturally, many parents and their children feel embarrassed about talking about some aspects of sex and sexuality. 

Since, Sex education in school tends to take place in blocks of time, it can't always address issues relevant to young people at a particular time, and parents can take an important role in providing information and opportunities to discuss things when they need it.

At home, young people can easily have one-to-one discussions with parents or elders, which focus on specific issues and questions. They can have a dialogue about their attitudes & views. Sex Education at home also tends to take place over a long time, and involve lots of short interactions between parents and children.  It is important not to defer dealing with a question for too long as it can suggest that you are unwilling to talk about it.

In school the interaction between the teacher and young people takes a different form and is often provided in organized blocks of lessons. It is not as well suited to advising the individual as it is to providing information from an impartial point of view. The most effective sex education acknowledges the different contributions each setting can make. Schools programmes which involve parents, notifying them what is being taught and when, can support the initiation of dialogue at home. Parents and schools both need to engage with young people about the messages that they get from the media, and give them opportunities for discussion.

School-based sex education is an effective way of enhancing young people's knowledge, attitudes and behaviour. The formal education should include sex education. The following elements will include in effective school programmes to increase young people's levels of knowledge about sex and sexuality, put back the average age when they first have sex and decrease risk when they do have sex:

• Focus on reducing specific risky behaviours;
• Basic theories which explain what influences people's sexual choices and behaviour; 
• A clear & continuously reinforced message about sexual behaviour and risk reduction;
• Providing accurate information about the risks associated with sexual activity, contraception, birth control, methods of avoiding intercourse;
• Dealing with peer and other social pressures on young people; 
• Providing opportunities to practice, assertion, negotiation and communication skills;

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