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SEX EDUCATION

In the Indian scenario..!

An interesting debate has been going on in India for quite sometime now on the need or otherwise of introducing sex education in schools. Sometime ago the Union Human Resources Development (HRD) Ministry had launched, in collaboration with the National Aids Control Organization (NACO), an educational program known as the Adolescence Education Program (AEP), (popularly known as ‘sex education’), intended to be implemented by all the States and the Union Territories in the country. The avowed aim of the AEP is to ‘protect the secondary and senior secondary school students in the age group of 15-17 from AIDS and exposure to drugs’.

What is sex education?

The colloq. meaning of the word sex, as given in the dictionary, viz., sexual intercourse, appears to suit the context. Creating awareness about the sex and its aspects amounts to ‘sex education’.
The very word sex is still a taboo in Indian society and treated as vulgar. We are yet to come a long way from the culture of shying away from the nude and semi-nude pictures that are etched on the temple architecture. And we are also to get to learn to discuss sex freely at home. In this scenario, it takes enormous, concerted effort at convincing people of the need and the larger benefits that could be derived out of the program, and at ensuring its wider acceptability.
According to the then HRD Minister, ‘the AEP is aimed at making learners aware of major concerns, like HIV/AIDS and drug (substance) abuse’.

The Need:

Traditionally, the sex education or knowledge is imparted to girls and boys by the elders/grandparents in the family at the time of their marriage, attendant with the usual myths and superstitions. So the newly-weds, novice as they are, are not fully equipped with the scientific knowledge that is required to lead a safe, happy sexual life – sometimes leading to confusion and contradictions. Of late many magazines (including some National Dailies) – both English and vernacular - run regular columns by professionals on the sex and the sex-related problems, but they seek to serve the adults and the married ones.
Now with the advent of Internet, where uncensored pornographic material is freely available, as also the kind of stuff that is put on the small and the big screens, it no longer requires the traditional methods to inform the adolescents about sex. In the present commercial world, even the print media is not lagging behind in competing with the electronic media in this respect. It is difficult to check this disturbing trend what with the ineffective and insensitive Censor Boards that are hardly visible these days.
This over-exposure is sure to corrupt the young minds and expose them to all sorts of risks. With the ever-increasing number of HIV and AIDS cases in the country, creating awareness and imparting of scientific knowledge about sex and sex health to the youth assumes utmost importance and necessity. Otherwise the gullible manner in which these young people learn for themselves of the subject through other sources is bound to do more harm than envisaged. Given this background, the AEP appears to be well intentioned and timely, and provide a viable alternative.

The Content:

The success of the program depends mainly on two aspects, viz., the content and the methodology. It calls for utmost care in preparation of the content that is to be taught and exposed to the students. It should be carved out in such a manner as to make it interesting and dignified, and not be obscene, even remotely. The task should be assigned to experts who would keep in mind the age of the learners, the country’s culture, etc.

The Fears:

The government’s move, however, had evoked sharp reactions and divisions in political as well as social circles, which are not unexpected. There has been a divergence of views among the teachers and parents, with whom the subject had been broached informally. According to the Principal of a reputed Public School, the schools in general are not averse to the idea, but they are not equipped to handle the subject, given the delicacy and the sensitivity of it. Similarly, the teaching fraternity, which includes women, is not psychologically prepared for it. Besides being reticent and shy, they – especially the male teachers - also seem to fear that they might stand exposed to allegations of ‘overstepping’ their brief, if not ‘exploiting’ the students.
Many parents are naturally wary of the move and do not seem to favour the idea at all, expressing fears that it might corrupt the tender minds and the very fabric of the Indian culture - while a few, though not against it, want the government to tread cautiously.
It is not that the AEP teaches the students about sexual intercourse or the methods of it, but it seeks to ‘empower the adolescent population to make informed choices and develop life skills for addressing psychological, social and health concerns’, as has been emphasized by the HRD Ministry
The concerns and apprehensions of the people, however, do not seem to be misplaced or their fears unfounded, if the case of the State of Andhra Pradesh is any indication, if not proof enough.
The State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) of A.P. had brought out a sex educational manual for high school students, which reportedly contained ‘colourful nude pictures of men and women and details of copulation’. It is also said to ‘insist on teachers explaining in detail the bodily changes that happen to girls and boys after puberty including erection and ejaculation. And also how copulation occurs and women get pregnant’. Further, the new methodology, as included in the manual, reportedly ‘insists on demonstrations too. A boy or a girl has to lie on the floor to enable a classmate to draw an outline sketch of the body. After that, students are asked to draw the organs, including genitals’.
Not unexpectedly, the teachers and the women’s organizations in the State had promptly and rightly protested against it, terming it obscene. Though the SCERT tried to defend it as ‘convenient and decent’, eventually it had to eat its humble pie by admitting that some pictures were indeed disturbing. The State’s School Education Minister had to order the objectionable material to be deleted. The Council had since reportedly come out with a modified version which is yet to be put to use.
This only exposes the casualness, irresponsibility, insensitivity and the lack of understanding on the part of those who prepared the manual, while the very nature of the subject clearly warrants utmost care, minute research and proper understanding of child psychology.

The Task Ahead:

The Union HRD Ministry is said to be serious about translating its well-intentioned program into action, in which case it shall cause to draw out a common sex education manual by educationists who are experts for use by all the States, instead of leaving to the States themselves to draw their own manuals – leading to varying standards. It should also carry all the States with it explaining the intended advantages of the sex education to adolescents and try to dispel any doubts and misapprehensions and ensure its uniform implementation through out the country, as several States – including Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka - have expressed their reservations and even banned sex education.
Efforts are also required to be made at educating the parents of the imperative need to provide better understanding and scientific knowledge to the teenaged with regard to sex – besides preparing the teaching fraternity mentally for the task.
In order to achieve the desired results, the teachers should be specially trained for the purpose, with the emphasis on ethics and teen psychology. Otherwise there is the danger of the taught being exploited by some unscrupulous ones among the fraternity.
All the same, the need for and the importance of imparting sex education to the teenagers cannot be down-played as they are exposed to all sorts of ‘cultures’ including the pub culture these days. The adolescent stage in one’s life is more vulnerable. The mute point, however, is: At what stage this should be introduced? It would perhaps be befitting to introduce sex education at college level, instead of the school level, by which time the young minds would be more matured. And the curriculum should be prepared with utmost care and caution by a high-powered expert panel in such a manner that the content is really educative and informative (and not seductive), and does not cause embarrassment to both the teacher and the taught. It is also worth studying the modules of other countries where such an education is introduced, for guidance. The responsibility to allay the fears and apprehensions troubling the people’s minds – rather than pushing the program through - lies with the HRD Ministry, so that the benefits of the program are not lost sight of and the program finds acceptance by all sections of the society.

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