Women, Family, and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri (photo, left) emphasised growing concerns over rising cases of teen pregnancies, underage marriage, baby abandonment, and unsafe abortion in a speech on 10 November 2024 at the Sarawak edition of the Advocacy Forum on Reproductive and Social Education for Parents today.
Citing data from the Health Ministry, she noted that 44,263 teen pregnancies were recorded over the past five years, 17,646 involving unmarried teens. “From 2019 to 2023, Sarawak alone registered 9,258 teen pregnancies, of which 5,627 were among unmarried teens. In Sarawak, high rates of teenage pregnancy are partly linked to customary laws that permit underage marriage, and there has yet to be an amendment raising the minimum age of marriage for girls to 18.”
She stressed that conversations about sex should no longer be treated as taboo or sensitive, as parental or societal hesitation to address reproductive health would only increase curiosity among teens. “In today’s globalised world, teenagers face new challenges, including external cultural influences, unlimited access to information, and pressure to conform to shifting social norms,” she said. The forum on reproductive and social health education, which drew around 200 participants, aimed to equip parents with the knowledge to support the growth and social integration of teens.
On 9 November 2024, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek (photo, right) spoke at the Tahfiz Model Ulul Albab 10th anniversary celebration at SMKA Putrajaya. The Education Ministry will incorporate the Reproductive and Social Health Education (PEERS) module into the 2027 school curriculum to address the rising number of teenage pregnancies in the country. She said the decision was approved by the Women, Family, and Community Development Ministry (KPWKM), adding that the Education Ministry welcomes cross-Ministry collaboration to tackle the issue.
“Our concern is the same as KPWKM’s when it comes to the issue of pregnancies out of wedlock. We are focusing on an educational agenda, particularly those closely related to reproductive health. We conduct advocacy programmes related to reproductive health issues, including joint programmes with KPWKM to address issues such as sexual harassment, girls’ health, and ‘safe touch and bad touch’, which we are still implementing at the Education Ministry level,” she told reporters, after officiating at the closing ceremony of the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Week at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).
Fadhlina added that the PEERS module will empower teachers and students with knowledge. The module will be incorporated into the curriculum under Health Education, spanning preschool to secondary school, where students will be provided with information and skills, particularly psychosocial competencies, to make informed decisions in their daily lives.
In another development, Fadhlina urged school counsellors to play a vital role in encouraging students to choose STEM. She said the Ministry of Education has held interventions between school counsellors and STEM industry players to ensure educators have current information that can be passed to students.
The USM STEM Week saw the participation of the university’s 15 STEM schools from its three campuses, along with six collaborators. A total of 350 lecturers and students conducted various interactive STEM-themed activities alongside 600 students from over 30 schools in Penang.
SOURCES: Selangor Journal, 2 November 2024. PHOTO by Bernama ; Selangor Journal, by Bernama. 10 November 2024. PHOTO: Facebook/Fadhlina Sidek