Karnataka - Bangalore   

Panel to take a re-look at sex education module

Special Correspondent

`What has been provided is a straight translation of UNICEF document'

Bangalore: The training material provided to teachers by the Government to some schools in Karnataka as part of the Adolescent Education Programme, which has been in the eye of a storm for its explicit content, will now be put under scanner. A high-level meeting held here on Friday has decided to set up a three-member committee to look into the appropriateness of the material meant to create awareness among children on AIDS.

According to sources, the committee will have a teacher, a doctor with expertise in field and a member of the Directorate of State Education Research and Training (DSERT). "Members found that the material had been drawn from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) document mechanically and translated, which has made it inappropriate for our context," the sources said.

The material has a Western school-going child in mind and has information unsuitable for schoolchildren in India. The idea was to study several other sources available on adolescent and sex education -- such as one prepared by the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurological Sciences (NIMHANS) and Bangalore Medical Services Trust and Research Institute -- and draw from them appropriately. But the material prepared finally was a "straight translation" of UNICEF document. The teaching module, contrary to reports, was given to teachers in a select 3,000 schools only. The sources clarified that textbooks were not given to students anywhere in Karnataka.

The proposal to introduce Adolescent Education Programme has seen many protests. Organisations such as All India Democratic Students' Organisation (AIDSO) and the All India Mahila Samskruthika Sanghatane (AIMSS) had demanded that the manual, "Life Skill Module", be withdrawn immediately. They called for a debate involving parents, teachers, educationists and psychologists before "experimenting with young minds".

Following the uproar, Primary and Secondary Education Minister Basavaraj S. Horatti ruled out the possibility of introducing sex education in schools in Karnataka. It is learnt that the Minister has called a meeting on April 11 to discuss the issue further.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Property tax: existing system to continue
`Budget is without vision'
Whatever happened to family physician?
A long innings comes to an end
Council Chairman election on April 5
A big birthday bash for famed Lalbagh
Not enough funds provided for irrigation: Siddaramaiah
Panel to take a re-look at sex education module
Lalbagh to be plastic-free
Alternative budget shows surplus
Six MLAs declare assets, liabilities
Let us first teach family welfare, says Minister
`Report on mining department to be placed before Houses'
Eight trains cancelled
Vachanas now available on the web
Yediyurappa threatens to sue L.C. Jain
Parvathy Baul to perform today
Ramachandra Gowda gets threat letter
Book release
Bangalore University announces results
Around the City

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu