TIANJIN, Jan. 9 (Xinhuanet) -- Where do humans come from? How can you protect yourself against sexual violation? And what is the right distance between opposite sexes?

    Lessons with such content, interesting and strange for not onlyordinary boys and girls at the age of puberty but also those mentally handicapped, has become a formal course at schools for mentally retarded students in east China's Tianjin municipality.

    "Although later than ordinary children, the sexual mentality of intellectually handicapped children develops in the same phases asordinary children," said Fang Jianying, president of Tianjin Qizhi School, a special school for mentally retarded students.

    "At the age of puberty, they will demonstrate the same curiosity as ordinary children, but their abilities to distinguish between right and wrong, to protect themselves against sexual violation and to control themselves are much weaker than ordinary children," Fang said.

    Since last year, special sexual education courses were opened for retarded students between the ages of 13 to 18 at Qizhi school and for their parents.

    "Teachers will help them learn about their bodies and how to protect themselves against sexual violation through telling stories and playing games, which are specially designed for those mentally retarded students," said Fang.

    "And special sexual education courses are also offered for parents of the students to learn how to give the right guidance totheir children in daily life," Fang added. Enditem