Pregnant teacher lets pupils touch her belly, fuels online storm

A pregnant elementary school teacher has triggered a heated online discussion about sex education after being denounced by angry parents for teaching it to young children.

The woman's troubles became a social media event after a Facebook post by her husband went viral.

He said his wife is depressed and has been forced to keep her distance from her class.

The complaints stemmed from an incident in which the teacher allowed her pupils to touch her belly to feel the baby inside.

The husband said her gesture had been misinterpreted, according to SkyPost.

The parents said it was no different from teaching sex education.

They objected to having their children exposed to the subject of sex and pregnancy at a young age.

Netizens weighed in, with some commenters mocking the parents for their "Stone Age views".

Others said sex education should be taught at home by parents, not in schools by teachers who might have no idea about the children's maturity to understand the subject.

Tik Chi-yuen, chairman of the Hong Kong Institute of Family Education, said the complaints are "too much associated thinking" and parents' refusal to discuss sex with their children could force them to learn it from other sources.

Tik said parental attitudes toward sex education are too conservative, even extreme, and are out of touch with reality.

Atty Ching, director of the Touch Counseling Center, said parents are confusing sex education with sexual behavior.

They should take the initiative to educate their children about sex and respect for life, she said.

[Original Facebook post] (Chinese only)

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