BINTULU: The Social Intervention: Sexual Education Awareness and Advocacy Programme (KAPS) is important to address the issue of teenage pregnancy.
In stating this, Minister in the Premier’s Department Datuk John Sikie Tayai said the Sarawak government has set a key performance indicator (KPI) to reduce the number of teenage pregnancy cases by 10 per cent each year compared to the number of cases in the previous year.
“Statistics from the State Health Department show that the trend in the number of pregnant teenagers has been declining since 2014, from 3,401 cases to 1,623 cases in 2021.
“This downward trend gives impetus to the State government, through the State Social Development Council (MPS) and its strategic partners in the One Stop Teenage Pregnancy Committee (OSTPC) in continuing to operate this KAPS programme.
“This year, the MPS plans to implement a total of 26 series of KAPS programmes in national secondary schools statewide,” he said at the KAPS programme at Dewan SMK Tatau, Bintulu on Saturday (July 16).
Thus far, in the Bintulu Division, four KAPS programmes are planned to be implemented in 2022, namely two series of the programmes in SMK Tatau and SMK Bintulu in Bintulu District and two more in primary schools namely in SK Sebauh and SK Labang in Sebauh District.
He added that it is important for parents to continue to remind their children of noble values and monitor their behaviour with love.
“If teenagers do not have the knowledge and access to proper information, they will face the risk of getting pregnant when caught up in unsafe sex and unhealthy relationships.
“Therefore, sexual health education should no longer be considered a ‘taboo’ by schools or parents,” he emphasised.
Following this, Sikie stressed that if parents have an open mind and guide their children well, they will be more willing to refer to their parents when faced with any issue about sex.
On another matter, he also announced a grant of RM40,000 to SMK Tatau and RM10,000 to Tatau Health Clinic.
