Wilfred Gaunt praises the enlightened Dutch policy on sex education

I spent the last 15 years of my working life as a hotel chef in Utrecht in Holland. I soon realised that Dutch society is matriarchal, family-centred and down-to-earth. The women are self-assured, professionally capable. They school their daughters in the ways of men (down to the last grimy detail, as I discovered later). And daughters had enlightened relationships with their parents in matters of sex education.

Since returning to Britain, I've been hammering on about the sex-eduction deficiency here – and our consequent six-fold incidence of teenage pregnancies here compared to Holland.

I was, therefore, delighted to discover the 2001 study of Drs Jane Lewis and Trudie Knijn entitled: "A Comparison of English and Dutch Sex Education in the Classroom." A few highlights must suffice to illustrate salient points.

Dutch families regard it as their duty to give their children a thorough grounding in sex education before puberty (for boys it's too late thereafter). Schools concentrate on teaching self-respect and empathy towards each other in relationships, and empowering girls to have control of their situation in sexual encounters.

The English focus on prevention, and sex as a danger; whereas the Dutch present sex in a much more normal and positive way. It is difficult for schools and sex-education resources in the UK to give the issue of teenage intimacy and relationships greater place when there is such strong opposition to acknowledging their existence in the first place.

The treatment of sex was far more negative in English schools, which focused particularly on how to say "no". English pupils have a far more fatalistic approach to sex – sex happens.

Teachers in England are concerned about adverse publicity in respect of sex education and see dissenting parents as a potential threat, whereas Dutch care courses aim to "normalise" sex education, and embed it in courses that focus on everyday living. Sex education is thus found alongside nutrition and bicycle repair.

Dutch politicians pass the issue of sex education over to professional educators and charge them with building consensus.

Compare this last with our experience, where every Tom, Dick, Harry, Mary Whitehouse feels they have a God-given right to interfere in, what should be, a well researched education process.

Britain is home to a Taliban style of enforced ignorance about the most important fundamental subject in communal living.

Wilfred Gaunt has worked in many hotels, here and on the continent.