Sex education: Teaching it the right way

Pratigyan Das

In a major shift in policy, the taboo surrounding sex education in India is finally set to end, as the subject is poised to become a part of school curriculum. The Centre has informed the Supreme Court that it has decided to introduce comprehensive sex education in schools and colleges across the country based on the recommendations of a national expert committee. The proposed curriculum will focus on essential topics such as body safety, hygiene, understanding body parts and identifying safe and unsafe touch. As students grow older, the lessons will gradually cover broader aspects of adolescent health, relationships and life skills. It is an irony that the country which gave the world the Kamasutra—Vatsyayana’s timeless treatise on love, relationships and human sexuality—has remained deeply hesitant about introducing sex education in schools. In 2007, when the Centre introduced the Adolescence Education Programme (AEP) in schools to educate students on puberty, reproductive health, HIV/AIDS and life skills, it was met with resistance. Several states, including Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, either banned or suspended the programme, calling parts of the material “obscene” or “against Indian culture.” The controversy forced revisions to the curriculum.

Ironically, this discomfort extends beyond classrooms. It was evident when a Hindi film ‘OMG2’ centered on sex education received an ‘A’ certificate, barring those under 18—the very audience that could have benefited most from its message. For decades, discussions around sex and sexuality in India have remained shrouded in silence, embarrassment and social taboo. The consequences are evident. Rising cases of child sexual abuse, cyber grooming, teenage mental health issues, misinformation about puberty and relationships, and an increasing dependence on pornography as a source of information are indicators that with changing times, we need to change our mindset towards sex education. Countries that have introduced age-appropriate, scientifically accurate sex education have reported encouraging outcomes.

For instance, The Netherlands, where relationship education begins in primary school, has one of the world’s lowest teenage pregnancy rates. Similarly, Sweden, which made sex education compulsory in 1955, has seen high awareness of reproductive health and contraception. Global studies by UNESCO have found that comprehensive sex education does not encourage early sexual activity. Instead, it delays risky behaviour, improves knowledge of reproductive health, promotes respect and consent and helps children recognise and report sexual abuse. The introduction of sex education in schools in India is, therefore, a welcome and long-overdue step. In an era where children are exposed to unfiltered information through smartphones, social media and the internet, with holding accurate knowledge is no longer an option. But then, in India, which has been hesitant talking about it,the real question is not whether schools should teach sex education, but how they should teach it.Sex education should not be reduced to lessons on reproduction or contraception, nor should it become an ideological exercise.

Instead, it must focus on age-appropriate topics such as body awareness, puberty, menstrual health, consent, personal safety, healthy relationships, digital citizenship and respect for others. Experience offers little comfort. In many schools, chapters on the human reproductive system in biology were either rushed through, skipped altogether or treated as an embarrassment, leaving students to seek answers from unreliable sources instead of the classroom. Delivery of the subject is critical for its success. Teachers must receive specialised training to handle sensitive questions with confidence, empathy and scientific accuracy.

Besides, the curriculum should be free from sensationalism, moral policing or explicit content that is inappropriate for the age group. Moreover, parents must be involved and engaged through orientation sessions. They must be explained the objectives and content of the programme to dispel misconceptions that sex education encourages promiscuity. Age-appropriate sex education can replace ignorance with understanding, discouraging crude jokes, sexist attitudes and the trivialisation of sexual issues, while encouraging respect and responsible behaviour.

The writer is a journalist.