EUROPE : Sex Education in Classroom Becomes Political in Britain : Parental groups are complaining about a graphic pamphlet that was handed out to children ages 9 to 14.

Sex has once again become a political issue in Great Britain--not senior officials caught in the wrong bedroom, but rather sex education in classrooms.

The center of the storm is the Health Education Authority, a semiautonomous organization that among other things oversees the instruction pamphlets used in state schools.

The Conservative government of Prime Minister John Major, already under fire from several fronts, is being accused by traditionalists of laxity in supervising how information about sex is taught to the nation’s students.

The controversy began several weeks ago when the HEA, which underwrites publications in various health fields, gave its imprimatur to a pamphlet called “The Best Sex Guide,” which included graphic descriptions of oral sex and other practices.

Parental groups immediately complained and urged a far-reaching review of all sex education leaflets--insisting that they not be issued to schoolchildren until vetted by parents and school board governors.

Under the decentralized British system, the HEA can approve health education materials, but each local school principal decides which to use.

“The Best Sex Guide,” which was designed for youths older than 16, was handed out at an afternoon school club for 9- to 14-year-olds. The book describes various sex acts, using slang words for genitals. However, there was nothing on the cover or inside the book to indicate that it was designed for those older than 16.

Another HEA-sanctioned book, “The Pocket Guide to Sex,” was branded as “smutty” by Health Minister Brian Mawhinney, who banned it.

As the original dispute simmered, another booklet approved by the HEA came to light called “The 69 Bravest Sex Questions.” It contained references to oral and anal sex, masturbation and vibrators.

It was accompanied by a computer disk called “The A to Z of Love and Sex,” with graphics on sexual techniques.

A leading member of the HEA, the Rt. Rev. Bill Westwood, bishop of Peterborough, who complained about the earlier publication, threatened to resign if the latest booklet and disk were not withdrawn.

Morals campaigner Victoria Gillick complained: “This has opened up the market to every pornographer. If they can put HEA stickers on it, they will make a fortune. It is nothing more than a video nasty.”

Some members of Parliament also objected to the materials.

Education Secretary John Patten said the government is planning new rules that would insist on more parental involvement in the content of sex education courses and materials.

“There is much too much concentration on the plumbing and mechanics,” he said, “and not enough on the relations of the emotions that are involved.”

He said sex education should begin at home--although almost every study has shown that most British parents are too embarrassed to explain sex to their children.

Dr. David Colombi, creator of “The A to Z of Love and Sex,” countered that his publication “contains a message I very much want to get across--that sex can be fun. It is not dirty or crude. It contains straightforward, factual information about sex for children, so they can decide what is right for them.

“I gave a demonstration of the disk a few months ago at a sex education conference for parents, school governors and children, and they all seemed to approve it.”

Family Planning Assn. Director Doreen Massey defended the distribution of sex guides to children, arguing: “Young people need information. If you look at the problem pages of any teen-age magazine, you will see much worse than anything in these books.”

She and others point out that 44% of pregnant women in Britain today are unmarried--and a large proportion are teen-agers.

But Margaret Morrisey, of the National Confederation of Parent-Teachers Assns., which represents 10 million parents, said: “This whole area needs re-examining. It is time to pull in every leaflet that goes out and start from scratch. Once children have been exposed to this sort of thing, we cannot erase it from their minds.”