What are regulations on sex education according to the age in Vietnam?

What are regulations on sex education according to the age in Vietnam?

Currently, sex education is not an independent subject but is merely integrated into small programs, typically in the 5th-grade science subject. It was only deeply addressed in the 2018 general education program.

According to the 2018 General Education Program issued under Circular 32/2018/TT-BGDDT (amended by Article 1, Article 2 of Circular 13/2022/TT-BGDDT) dated December 26, 2018, the content of sex education is included in the curriculum of the Natural and Social subjects from grades 1, 2, 3 and the Science curriculum for grades 4, 5, as stipulated in the appendix of the general education program for science subjects issued together with Circular 32/2018/TT-BGDDT (amended by Article 1, Article 2 of Circular 13/2022/TT-BGDDT).

Sex education for children of various ages, appropriate to the development of their psychological physiology, is as follows:

*Children from 1 to 3 years old

This is the stage where children start developing language skills; by the end of the third year, children basically have mastered the language. At this stage, sex education involves teaching children the names of body parts, especially sensitive areas.

Parents should also teach children about private parts, explaining that these should not be exposed and that other people should not touch them.

*Children from 3 to 6 years old

During this stage, children begin to explore their surroundings vigorously, language has developed substantially, and they engage in many interactive activities.

Gender differentiation reaches a new level; boys and girls, though different, share similarities.

Sex education at this age involves teaching children through role-playing activities such as playing parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, etc., to help them distinguish roles and understand who is referred to as a brother, sister, etc.

This helps them develop an initial awareness of the role of each gender and how boys and girls should interact and communicate, as well as the roles of the father and mother in the family.

*Children from 6 to 11 years old

This stage is characterized by rapid memory and cognitive development. Children become curious about gender distinctions, such as the physical differences between boys and girls and questions about human birth.

Parents can answer simply, such as: “A baby is born with the combined efforts of the father (sperm) and mother (egg) to create a 'seedling,' which grows in the mother’s belly. After about 9 months and 10 days, the 'seedling' is ready to be born.”

*Adolescents (from 11 to 18 years old)

The most significant development at this age is puberty, where children undergo psychological, physiological, and sexual needs development. They begin to expand their relationships and experience infatuation.

Sex education becomes crucial, focusing particularly on reproductive health education.

Download Natural and Social Program from grades 1, 2, and 3

Download Science Program for grades 4 and 5

Download Extracurricular Activity Program

(Some content of the general education program has been amended by Article 1, Article 2 of Circular 13/2022/TT-BGDDT).

What are regulations on sex education according to the age in Vietnam?​ (Image from the Internet)

What are regulations on integration of sex education into the Science curriculum in Vietnam?

Based on Section 8 of the Appendix of the General Education Program for Science subjects issued together with Circular 32/2018/TT-BGDDT:

EXPLANATION AND IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE OF THE PROGRAM

...

4. Integrating related issues into subjects

Integration of content such as environmental education, biodiversity protection, climate change adaptation, sex education, and harassment prevention into the Science subject should ensure selective integration, without forceful inclusion, clear characteristics of the subject, and does not overload students.

Thus, sex education is integrated into the Science curriculum, addressing matters such as sex education and harassment prevention...

What are conditions for sex education content in primary school in Vietnam?

According to Official Dispatch 850/BGDDT-GDTH in 2022:

According to the 2018 General Education Program issued under Circular 32/2018/TT-BGDDT dated December 26, 2018, sex education content is included in the Natural and Social curriculum from grades 1, 2, 3 and the Science curriculum for grades 4, 5. Content related to sex education such as harassment prevention... is also integrated into other subjects like Ethics and Experiential Activities from grade 1.

Thus, sex education content in the official, compulsory curriculum for primary school classes ensures it is appropriate for the psychological development of students at each age. Currently, the Ministry of Education and Training is developing a new early childhood education program and will continue to research incorporating sex education content appropriate for early childhood psychological development into this new program.

Thus, the content of sex education at the primary level must be appropriate for the psychological development of the students.