Best left unsaid – a brief history on events surrounding sexuality education in Singapore

• Main Author: Kon, Joshua Fu Shan
• Other Authors: Ang Song Nian
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2022
• Subjects: Visual arts and music::Arts in general; Humanities::History::Asia::Singapore::Politics and government; Humanities::History::Asia::Singapore::Social aspects
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/158575
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Best Left Unsaid is a sarcastic but irreverent tribute to the Ministry of Education’s standardized Sexuality Education Programme implemented in primary to post-secondary education. It offers a visual interpretation of sentiments held by those who experienced it and by the ones who created it. It bluntly displays attitudes of the past, while also hinting towards an extent of influence by other spheres of politics and religion. Employing a whimsical visual language, Best Left Unsaid is an effort to finally understand once and for all, why I and so many others feel shafted by this critical aspect of educational development. Images were based off research of past versions of MOE produced teaching material on sexuality education, as well as scholarly papers on the history and criticisms of the subject. It was found that despite a claim of secularity, the creation of the subject was advised by experts from religious organisations, and teaching goals were selected to be in line with the national values of the nation, prioritizing conservative values and those that promoted the family. Best Left Unsaid tackles an uncomfortable subject in which few have chosen to devote academic research to. It adds an entry point to poignant discussions on the intersection of sex and national values for the everyman.