ABSTRACT
Sexuality is a part of life. Therefore, receiving accurate information about sexuality—known as sex education—is one of the rights of children. UNESCO (2009) stated that sex education aims to equip children with knowledge, skills, and values regarding sexual and social relationships to make them better decision makers in their adulthood. It is specifically geared to remove gender inequalities as one of the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations (UN). Furthermore, enabling sex education is closely linked to the local culture. In Indonesia, discussing sexuality is commonly considered taboo. Thus, as a UN member, Indonesia does not yet have national programmes related to sex education for students, even though it is mandated by the constitution. In contrast, in response to the current school climate, the need for sex education is recognised by the school community as essential. This study describes a pilot programme of sex education that is delivered to fourth grade students at one elementary school in Jakarta, Indonesia. It is found that their knowledge of sexuality is generally below the requisite level and is significantly different between boys and girls. Both genders are also different in terms of their success in achieving the programme’s goals.
