The Hindu : Kerala News : Need for healthy attitude towards sex education

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Sunday, Apr 01, 2007
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Kerala

Kerala

Need for healthy attitude towards sex education

The move by the Central Board of Secondary Education to introduce sex education as part of its curriculum in schools has led to some questions being raised by students, parents and teachers. Do you think it is an appropriate move? Our readers respond:

A taboo

Discussions on sex are taboo in our society. It is considered something obscene or unholy. During adolescence, children get attracted to the opposite sex. There is also a tendency to read books and view films meant for adults. Most parents shy away from talking about sex education to their children. Who will impart proper sex education to children? The answer is teachers. Once students are in school, teachers are the guardians. Sex education should be a part of the curriculum. There may be initial inhibitions to focus on a subject which was hitherto kept under wraps. Denying sex education to schoolchildren and youth is akin to shirking one's responsibilities.

C.P. Jose

Kochi

Face challenges

We need to understand that present-day education lacks a lot. Regular counselling programmes and life skills and value-based education with follow-up programmes will help equip students, teachers and parents deal with the challenges in life.

Sunil D. Kuruvilla

Mavelikara

Tough task

I am a Class XII student in a CBSE school. The decision taken by the CBSE has both positive and negative aspects. The positive aspect is that teenagers will be taught about sex education by their teachers.

Students try securing information from magazines.

So, it is always better if the school can provide them with the right information. But there is another aspect to consider. A class comprises children from different societies and backgrounds. A topic on sex taught in a co-education school would be no easy task. It would be better to deal with such topics at home than in school.

Sreya Vaidyan

E-mail

Welcome move

The importance of sexuality in human personality development has been proved by contemporary scientific research in this area. It is not something to be neglected, but to be discussed.

The move of the CBSE to include the subject in the curriculum is welcome.

But the programme should focus on giving guidelines concerning sexual morality and ethics along with its biological, psychological and socio-cultural dimensions.

Raju Kannattumadom

Changanassery

Intervention

Is sex education in schools an appropriate move? The leisure activities of children include surfing the Internet for pornography. The school alone remains the sanctum sanctorum for moral development. This then is the nodal point for intervention.

Children need to learn to be comfortable with their own changing sexuality and develop a healthy respect for those of the opposite sex. Yet, the apprehensions of parents are not unfounded.

Experience has proven that sex education programmes are poorly researched, hastily implemented and annoyingly short-lived, contributing to confusion rather than clarity. Let us strive to educate our children about sex.

Dr. Biju Poulose

Muttuchira

Positive step

Lack of knowledge on a particular subject will mislead people. Children do not get the right information on the right time. Generally, there is a particular age where children become more curious to know something about sex. Unfortunately, they end up choosing the wrong path. The information they gather ends up misguiding them. The CBSE is taking a positive step which will pave the way for quality education on sexual matters. Such programmes should be made part of the curriculum from the high school level.

Abraham George

E-mail

Clear the doubts

Information about physical development, sexuality and the possible risk of sexual activities is highly relevant in the present-day world. Making sex education a part of school curriculum should be viewed as a welcome sign — not as a matter of concern or alarm. The better informed a child is s/he can understand the changes in the body. Children can get confused when they undergo the process of growth from childhood to adulthood. Adequate training by experienced teachers is vital in this critical juncture when the children experience uncertainty.

Very often, they are neither ready nor emotionally prepared to understand the intricate psychological and biological process associated with their growth.

P.V. John

Kaduthuruthy

Kochi

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