Innovative methods

Before every sex education class, Li, the teacher from Henan, asks her students to suggest topics, and adjusts the content to suit their preferences.

Her methods won praise from Zhang Yinjun, who said class content and teaching techniques are important in sex education.

The AIDS prevention project's courses are regularly assessed by experts and they also draw on international experience to cater to students of different ages.

For example, teachers often ask first-grade primary school students to protect a chicken's egg for several days before they explain the basics of reproduction, while sixth-graders are taught about menstruation and the function of sanitary towels.

"We also tell children how to protect themselves and to identify the parts of their bodies that others should not touch," Zhang Yinjun said, adding that sex education can provide a shield that will allow children to avoid harm from the outside world and their own ignorance.

By the end of the year, the project will provide video materials for students to consult at its 1,073 "Youth Love Station" counseling centers nationwide.

It has also prepared courses for parents so they will understand the topics their children are learning about.

Since 2006, more than 13 million children, parents and teachers have participated in related lectures, the organization said.

"It's still not enough. My aim is to push for sex education to be included in the national compulsory education system so every student has access to it," Zhang Yinjun said.

Now that parents are donating most of the funds the project receives, she believes people are finally beginning to understand the significance of sex education.

Zhang Meimei, of Capital Normal University, said: "I know most Chinese still have conventional misgivings about sex education, so we need to push it little by little to gain more experience, just as the project is doing. Education should benefit every child like sunshine. Only when every child receives proper sex education can we say they have a complete and healthy life."