The Indian government has finally given a green signal for school children acquire sex Teducation under the revised edition of National Adolescent Education Program (NAEP). This government says will help children acquire only authentic knowledge aboutt adolescent reproductive and sexual health, including HIV/Aids and substance abuse. The 'sex education' debate went on for months before it could settle to this revised edition understanding in the concerned ministry and panel of edu-experts and consultants drawn from educational background across the country.
Adolescent education is considered an integral part of the Life-Skill Education Program (LSEP) to be taught in schools under CBSE, in Kendriya Vidyalaya and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya controlled by National Council Educational
Research and Training (NCERT) and United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA). The experts keeping in view the lifestyle, ethics and life-skill education already in the school curriculum, all on a global parameter had originally devised
LSEP, with added reference to the NACO-UNICEF training manual on sex education.
But this original version was revised to omit the unethical words - intercourse, masturbation or arousal and related references to sexual acts to help keep cold the Indian cultural sensitivities. "These inflammatory words have been deleted from the revised content of the adolescent education program, keeping in mind the cultural and social sensitivities as we are dealing with different with different groups of students, including rural population," said Ameeta Mulla Wattal, the Principal, Springdales School and a member of the committee appointed by the ministry to revise the NAEP content.
What is most astonishing is to see the unnecessary 'refine' going in to safeguard the so called 'cultural sensitivities'. The 21st Century has set in and we still see sex as the only possible act between two opposite genders. The hypothetical wall persists to stand poised tabooing us from acquiring free knowledge on a
process that is unarguably nothing but natural. If anything, it is a process that is purely an exchange of energies between two souls to create a new energy amidst a bond of love. A process that signify the beginning of mankind and has till this day kept the universe going. But not all seem to agree. According to Dr. Saroj Gumaste, CBSE consultant of the program, the revision has been to ensure it is more age-appropriate removing certain topics keeping in view the 'cultural sensitivity'. “Under the NAEP program, we are not teaching the kids how to get into sexual relationship rather how to take care of the body," headds.
When before have teachers gone down to that immoral extent of imparting such values to schoolchildren?
Sex education, a study of sexual health and understanding of one's andother's sexuality, is misinterpreted of its value and applicability into a mere idea of making love. The concept further extends to include a set of collective topics such as safe sexual behaviour to avoid HIV/AIDS, safe motherhood, planning of family, population control and importance of both genders in the continuity of human race.
