Sex among students alarming

MEDAN, North Sumatra: Some 32.4 percent of senior high school students in several cities in North Sumatra claimed to have experienced sexual intercourse, a study say.

The study, conducted by the North Sumatra Education Office, showed that 71.5 percent of those claiming to have had sex did so between the ages of 11 and 15, said the office's Erni Mulatsih during a dialog on teenage pregnancies here on Saturday.

According to the data, the other 22.3 percent lost their virginity after reaching the age of 16, with only 4 percent of them having sex under the age of 10.

Erni said the data was compiled from 910 questionnaires filled in by students from 10 senior high schools in Medan, Deli Serdang and Langkat.

She explained that about 47 percent of the students claimed to have had sex at home when their parents were away, while the other 40 percent had sex at tourist resorts.

In a dialog attended by some 100 students from 15 schools in Medan, Erni said many of the female students had become pregnant after having sexual intercourse and most of them left school because they were embarrassed.

"We are very concerned about this situation. Parents should pay more attention to the education of their children," Erni added. (42/02)