Like science classes, sex education has been one of the "blind spots" in the Thai education system. Due to limited funding, students in many science classes, particularly in remote areas, have never physically touched a beaker or glass tubes used in scientific experiments.
They learnt about the experiments from textbooks, and teachers would eventually recite the results provided in the teacher handbooks.
When you fail to get your hands on something, you can forget the direct experiences, let alone enthusiasm and creativity.
Sex education had been like that. Thirty years ago, it was part of a hygiene course and carried out mostly by sports teachers. Then, there was an assumption that sports teachers must be the best people to know about people's physiques and hormones.
Many young interns also remember how they were bullied or harassed by young students of the opposite sex.
While some students with sexual experience managed to outwit their teachers, other students were intimidated by such talks. At the end, they took little home in terms of knowledge, save for photos of sexual organs of the opposite sex.
There was a good joke about it. It could be because of lack of funding or the thinking that actual objects were too obscene, teachers used their fingers to show how to use condoms. This happened when Thailand had a push to control the birth rate, in a bid to ease poverty, particularly in poor families.
The kids told their parents what they learnt, and their fathers applied the knowledge. It became news later that a man complained about having many children, despite the fact he always used condoms while having sex…
Of course, he always wore his condoms on his fingers! (Groan).
Nowadays, Thais have much better knowledge about sex and condoms. But Thais' shyness means limited discussion on this issue. Inspired by movies, many teens decide to experiment sex without proper knowledge about safe sex. Many girls end up pregnant and have to leave school for an unknown future.
The Thai Health Organisation could be criticised for spending too little on many things, but one thing it should be commended for is the Bt5 million budget for a sex museum. Opened earlier this month as part of the Science Park in Rangsit, the museum - created in collaboration with UNESCO - is the first sex museum in Asia.
Indeed, the museum designer should be applauded. All the six zones are devoted to educate young and old people about sex and safe sex, under the theme "Healthy Sexuality: Story of Love".
Now, parents do not need to feel awkward when kids ask: "How I was conceived?" or "Why is my [private part] different from my brother's?"
Kids and parents in Thailand may be surprised to know that children in many western countries also need similar education, as prevention is easier than cure, as they say.
In Amsterdam, in the shipshaped museum named NEMO (http://www.enemo.nl/en/?id=1), children learn how they came into this world and what physical and mental changes they should anticipate.
At the museum, there are small handcrafted wood toys that perform different sex positions. A box of big lips stands, enticing kids to put their arms into the tube to touch the end of the other tube. With a tinge, they learnt what feeling a kiss could spark. At least, if they want to have physical experiences, they know something in advance and know what they should expect from their experimentation.
The Thai museum also presents enticing objects. Unfortunately, its exhibits in Bangkok, are expected to draw only 600,000 youngsters over a oneyear period. But another 300,000 are anticipated when the exhibition goes on the road to provincial schools.
That counts for only 10 per cent of about 12 million school students nationwide.
Indeed, much remains to be done. While this knowledge has to be extended to cover as many students as possible, it could also be extended to cover sexual etiquette. For example, female students should not be solely responsible for any mishaps from sexual relationships. Thais love to recite foreign friends' saying that "sex is a winwin", but they have no idea how a true winwin situation could be achieved. There are shortcuts in other sciences, when basics can be skipped to give more time to creativity. Maybe the same could apply with sex education.
Chularat Saengpassa
The Nation
Chularat@nationgroup.com