Say the word "sex" loud enough and everyone within a 3m radius will turn to stare at you. In schools, the word is taboo. Even in Health Ed and Science classes, the teachers look uncomfortable saying it.

At Chung Cheng High (Yishun), there are two periods per week dedicated to "Cloves", a class where we learn about character building. It is during these lessons that the topic is brought up.

What that means is that we're shown a teenage girl greatly declaring her regret for having premarital sex and getting herself preggers like Britney Spears.

I don't think the amount of sex education we get in school is enough.

The teachers never ever talk about sex, and it's too weird talking to parents about it. So where do we girls get our information?

The Internet.

Quick and easy, at our fingertips, and with immediate gratification.

For us girls, it's hard to keep up with our bodily changes.

There are hormone rushes, which lead to new issues like boys, pregnancies, and potential abortions.

The Internet should not take the place of counsellors and experts who know all about this stuff.

Maybe boys and girls can be separated during sex talks so students will feel less shy broaching these topics.

Parents, too, must take the initiative - even though some may think children ought not to be told about sex until they're 30 years old.

Whether they like it or not, little Mary's going to grow up.

She'll want to know about these things. Don't wait till it's too late.

Bernice Leong, 15, is a Chung Cheng High (Yishun) Secondary 3 student. She is a member of this year's IN Crowd.

Here in my school, most Secondary 1 students anticipate and wait patiently for a very special chapter in our Science syllabus.

For all those using the same textbook, it's the highly anticipated Chapter Six, which covers human biology.

No wonder, we're all interested in knowing more about sex.

At Bukit View Secondary, the topic is covered in the Civic and Moral Education and Science classes.

The result? Highly censored videos of boys and girls, and the dire consequences that come with the act.

Even giving someone a Valentine's Day gift can be dangerous, we are told.

What they don't teach, (the stuff that didn?t make the censors' cut) teenagers today already know anyway - if not through personal experience, then through stories passed around by friends.

And what about movies and the Internet?

Although some teens may not admit it, the Internet is the one-stop shop to get the kind of sex education not covered in schools.

The way to improve how sex is taught is for teachers to be more open about the subject.

Otherwise, it's always the same boring stuff and students eventually end up not listening, and chatting at the back of the class.

How about making the subject a topic of discussion?

Instead of long, dreary videos that don't engage us, have the sex education course conducted in short workshops.

Students can be asked to respond to scenarios, and teachers can moderate the discussion, or correct misconceptions if need be.

That's just my two cents' worth. For now, I guess I'll just log on to Wikipedia...

Nasri Sadi, 13, is a Bukit View Secondary 2 student. He is a member of this years IN Crowd.

This article was first published in IN, a publication of the Straits Times, on May 26, 2008.