Close X
Wednesday, December 4, 2024
ADVT 
National

Controversy Could Follow Quebec's Sex Education Pilot Project, Set To Debut Soon

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 01 Sep, 2015 11:44 AM
  • Controversy Could Follow Quebec's Sex Education Pilot Project, Set To Debut Soon
QUEBEC — The delicate question about the right age to talk about sex is likely to be at the heart of the debate surrounding Quebec's new sex education pilot project, debuting in the coming weeks.
 
The project is expected to last two years and will debut this fall with sex education classes in about 15 schools — French and English, public and private institutions — in all regions of the province.
 
The Canadian Press has learned that the province invested some $860,000 into managing the project over the past five years.
 
In Ontario last year, the new sexual education curriculum proved so controversial that thousands of parents pulled their children out of class. The ministry sought to calm the issue by telling parents their children could opt out.
 
Quebec's Education Department has remained mum on details of the course but has said no exemptions will be made.
 
Sexuality will be taught to students from kindergarten to high school — five hours a year at the primary level and 15 hours a year in high school minimum, integrated into regular class hours.
 
A compulsory course is to be introduced in 2017.
 
The Education Department hasn't disclosed which schools are part of the project but say parents will be well informed and teachers will receive all necessary training, including what qualifies as explicit content.
 
The material presented will take into consideration the age of the child, said Pascal Ouellet, a department spokesman.
 
While young elementary school children won't learn about sexual practices, by sixth grade, elementary school children will be exposed to the "sexual awakening" of adolescence and be reassured about certain events surrounding puberty such as spontaneous erections in boys, documents suggest.
 
In high school, students will be directly informed about sexual practices and to reflect on "sexual intimacy" and motivations that would lead them to engage or not to engage in sexual intercourse.
 
Teachers aren't reassured. The government talks of "projects" or "workshops" without setting out clear pedagogical guidelines, says  Josee Scalabriini, the head of the Federation of Teachers Unions.
 
"It's very worrisome," she says, especially since the department hasn't outlined what training will be offered or other specifics.
 
The province offered a half-day of training to school administrators and a day-and-a-half of training to those responsible for implementing the courses. They will decide what type of training will be necessary for teachers in the classroom.
 
No evaluation will take place of what has been learned so students won't undergo an examination on the contents.

MORE National ARTICLES

The Plan For Duffy's Fake Repayment Dissected In Court

The Plan For Duffy's Fake Repayment Dissected In Court
Was Mike Duffy railroaded by a group of Stephen Harper's aides into telling the public he would repay his Senate expenses, or was Duffy the one shaking down the PMO?

The Plan For Duffy's Fake Repayment Dissected In Court

WHO appoints Canadian MD to help guide women's cancer care in developing nations

WHO appoints Canadian MD to help guide women's cancer care in developing nations
Dr. Ophira Ginsburg, a clinician and researcher at Women's College Hospital in Toronto, takes on the new role in Geneva on Oct. 1.

WHO appoints Canadian MD to help guide women's cancer care in developing nations

Indian Man Gets $3,000 And A Second Chance To Migrate To Canada

Indian Man Gets $3,000 And A Second Chance To Migrate To Canada
Dharmendrakumar Chandrakantbhai Patel's immigration application was rejected in 2014 on the grounds that he "had not supplied any of the documents allegedly requested

Indian Man Gets $3,000 And A Second Chance To Migrate To Canada

Watch: After Three Months, Ontario Woman Caught On Video Swiping Blooms From Grave

Watch: After Three Months, Ontario Woman Caught On Video Swiping Blooms From Grave
LONDON, Ont. — An unknown woman in London, Ont., has been caught on video repeatedly stealing flowers from a gravestone.

Watch: After Three Months, Ontario Woman Caught On Video Swiping Blooms From Grave

PQ Leader Peladeau Weds Longtime Love Julie Snyder In Grand Quebec City Wedding

PQ Leader Peladeau Weds Longtime Love Julie Snyder In Grand Quebec City Wedding
Parti Quebecois Leader Pierre Karl Peladeau had to wait for his bride, but the province's most publicized couple tied the knot at 7:45 pm Saturday at the historic Musee de l'Amerique francophone

PQ Leader Peladeau Weds Longtime Love Julie Snyder In Grand Quebec City Wedding

Quebec Premier Couillard open to legalizing UberX-style modes of transportation

Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard is showing himself open to legalizing UberX-style means of transportation, despite opposition from the taxi industry.

Quebec Premier Couillard open to legalizing UberX-style modes of transportation