Centre agrees to introduce 'comprehensive sex education' in schools, tells Supreme Court
The Centre has informed the Supreme Court about its decision to accept the recommendations of an expert committee to introduce 'comprehensive sex education' in schools
The Centre has informed the Supreme Court about its decision to accept the recommendations of an expert committee to introduce 'comprehensive sex education' in schools and colleges across the country. The implementation will begin once the court approves the report. The submission was made before a bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and R Mahadevan on Monday, where Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati said the government had accepted the committee's recommendations and would implement them nationwide after the apex court's approval. The report was prepared in compliance with the SC's directions to examine measures to prevent the criminalisation of consensual adolescent relationships and cases of minor pregnancy under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, according to a Times of India report.
26-member panel recommends curriculum changes The Centre had constituted a 26-member national expert committee, headed by an Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Women and Child Development, to examine issues relating to the privacy rights of adolescents engaged in consensual relationships, particularly in the context of the POCSO Act. The panel included experts from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), clinical psychologists, representatives from central ministries, state governments, the Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and the Legal Services Authority (NALSA), the report mentioned further. Among its major recommendations, the committee proposed making "comprehensive sex education" and "child sexual abuse" part of the core school curriculum.
It also recommended that the Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) develop age-appropriate teaching material. Age-appropriate lessons from primary school The report said children should be equipped with age-appropriate knowledge to identify unsafe situations, understand personal boundaries and seek help when needed. It recommended introducing basic concepts such as body safety, hygiene, body parts, and safe and unsafe touch from the foundational stage, while progressively expanding the curriculum as students grow older. The panel further suggested that a dedicated expert teacher be appointed from the primary level onwards to conduct mandatory classes on these topics for 15–20 minutes twice a week. Linked to Education Policy The committee recommended integrating adolescent education with the Education Policy (NEP) 2020, saying existing programmes should be reviewed and strengthened to promote holistic development, critical thinking and life skills.
The BriefWire