PUTRAJAYA: The gaps in Malaysia's sex education syllabus must be addressed to curb social problems among youth.
Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh said data indicated that most teenagers become sexually active before the age of 14, yet sex education in schools only began at the age of 15.
"This gap needs to be addressed," she said at Wisma KBS here on Tuesday (April 29) after chairing a roundtable discussion with youth leaders about tackling social issues.
Hannah said the Education and Health Ministries had acknowledged the gap and would review improvements to the syllabus.
She added that conventional approaches to addressing social problems were no longer practical.
"We need to think outside the box in tackling youth social issues, as this is becoming increasingly complex. We will not achieve the desired outcomes by relying on outdated methods.
"Recognising this, we will now focus on creating more online content and utilising algorithms to effectively reach our stakeholders," she said.
Meanwhile, Yeoh revealed that youth participation in clubs and associations is declining.
"This means they (youth) are no longer interested in physical activities and prefer online or networking platforms. So, we need to know how to optimise and leverage this situation," she said.
Hannah said the roundtable discussion was held to enable youth to build networks and discuss social issues with religious organisations and community leaders.
The discussion involved representatives from 40 non-governmental organisations, youth bodies, religious institutions and community leaders.
Various issues and intervention measures were discussed, including an agreement that youth involved in social problems should be helped through rehabilitation rather than legal action.
"We do not want them to be seen as criminals. They deserve a second chance, they deserve rehabilitation, and they need to know where to get help," she said. – Bernama
