sex education in schools india

• Relevance of Sex Education for Children in Modern India
• On: November 19, 2023
• By: Smile Foundation

Sex education is extremely important in today’s age. As we are seeing the world around us change, the relevance of sex education in modern India has become stronger. It is because everyone is exposed to a lot of information on the internet. Teenagers can access information about sex through dubious sources.

This information can give them wrong ideas about sex, sexual health, and sexual wellness. Therefore, it becomes crucial that sex education is treated as a priority today. This is also important to combat the misinformation and wrong influences coming from porn or sexual content .

Sexologists, psychologists, and behavioral scientists opine that teenagers are curious about sex. Their body is going through a transformation, and they want to understand these changes. Therefore, suppressing or restricting the flow of information to them is not a good idea.

The only constructive approach in this situation is to talk to teenagers about sex in a healthy manner. As per reports, western countries are already seeing the perils of porn addiction. Consuming violent sexual content on the internet can also form incorrect expectations about sex among teenagers.

At the same time, insufficient awareness of sex can also put them in a difficult situation. Sex education creates alertness and teenagers can make better decisions to avoid any sexually transmitted infections or diseases.

Sex Education in India

When we look at the status of sex education in rural India, the situation is comparatively poorer than in urban India. What we have observed so far is that sex education is primarily restricted to reproductive health education . India, where every fifth person is between the ages of 10 and 19, has the greatest proportion of adolescents in the world (approximately 253 million), according to UNICEF.

This limits the scope of sex education in rural India and urban India as well. It also eliminates or blocks a lot of important information that needs to reach adolescents, teenagers, and young adults. It is especially important for rural India because of the information asymmetry and stronger social taboos.

If we look at the facts, then we will be surprised. In 2012, at the London Summit on Family Planning , India promised to give 234 million teenagers and 200 million couples free access to family planning services and supplies by 2020. However, how much was achieved is still a mystery.

But everything is not so bleak. There are interventions being made in certain rural pockets which are showing promising results. In Barwani, a remote and backward district in Madhya Pradesh, ASHA workers, Anganwadi workers, school teachers, and panchayat members have been equipped to empower rural youth in taking care of their reproductive and sexual health.

A similar trend has been observed in Kanpur Dehat district of rural Uttar Pradesh. An edutainment show like ‘Mai Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon’ is creating awareness among people and is being used to inform people about teenage pregnancies, menstrual needs, sexual health, birth control, etc. The show has also had an impact in other rural areas in Bihar.

Sexual Wellness and Women

The victims of poor sexual awareness are primarily women. It is women who suffer most because of social taboos, menstrual issues, or unwarranted pregnancies. In 2012, a cross-sectional survey of 1381 young married and unmarried women (15–24 years old) from three rural community development blocks in Jharkhand, India, was carried out.

It was found in the research that the participants in the study married young and had early pregnancies. Women also had lower awareness and knowledge about contraception, sex, pregnancy, and reproductive health. They also had little control over their sexual lives and decision-making. This is all despite all the national policies and programs.

When women are educated and aware of sexual wellness, they make better reproductive decisions. This means fewer teenage pregnancies, child mortality, or sexually transmitted infections. However, women are also restricted from accessing information related to sex and sexual wellness. This is why sex education in modern India is extremely important.

Parents’ Role in Sex Education

Now that we understand the importance of sex education in rural India and sexual awareness among women, let us talk about an important factor. While sex education can be imparted through schools, colleges, and infotainment; it is the parent’s role in sex education that is most crucial.

Studies in the past have found that the majority of parents in India are reluctant to talk about sex with their children. In fact, a large percentage of parents never talked about sex with their children. It was discovered that 87% of parents in rural areas and 67% of parents in urban areas had insufficient knowledge of sex education.

Therefore, the sex education advice for parents is that they educate themselves first. They should also let go of their inhibitions and reservations. Today, parents cannot avoid the conversation around sex. This is because they should be the primary source of sex-related information for their adolescent children.

However, there is a bright side to all this. The younger population in India is more aware of the importance of sex education. Earlier research has found that more than 90% of students think sex education in school curriculum is important. 60% also stated that they had exposure to sex education in school. However, only 45% said that they had received appropriate sex education.

Parents who are worried about criticism and ridicule from society impose restrictive social norms on their children. Parents want to make sure their daughters stay out of premarital relationships, sex, and pregnancy, yet talking to them about puberty, sex, and reproduction is still frowned upon.

If parents develop an environment of trust and discuss things openly with their children, they can help their children in many ways. Teenagers who cannot talk to their parents about sex often share their problems with friends or find solutions through the Internet. All of this can be dangerous for teenagers in many ways.

Sex Education: The Way Forward

The World Health Organization defines Sex Education as a “broad program that aims to build a strong foundation for lifelong sexual health by acquiring information and attitudes, beliefs and values about one’s identity, relationships, and intimacy.”

By now, we understand why sex education is important and what role everyone has to play in it. Parents, schools, and society; everyone must come together to ensure proper sex education in modern India. This can only be made possible by discarding the taboos and the myths.

Many parents and teachers worry that talking about sex with teenagers will motivate them to have more sex. However, studies have found this to be untrue. In fact, research has found that more teenagers have already had sex than estimated by adults.

In this case, the only way to provide accurate information and make teenagers feel safe is by creating a conducive environment for sex education. Whether it is sex education in rural India or urban India, intervention from all stakeholders is needed.

Smile Foundation through its flagship initiative, Mission Education is trying to help children who have the zeal to transform their lives.

• Tags: Parents Role In Sex Education , Sex Education Advice For Parents , Sex Education In India Facts , Sex Education In Modern India , Sex Education In Rural India

One reply on “Relevance of Sex Education for Children in Modern India”

Absolutely! Sex education is crucial in today’s world, especially with easy internet access. Providing accurate, age-appropriate education is essential to counter misinformation. Initiatives in rural areas are making a positive impact, especially for women. Parents’ involvement is key, and it’s great to see growing recognition among the younger population. Let’s break taboos and myths to ensure comprehensive sex education is accessible to all. 🌟🤝 #SexEducationMatters

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Comprehensive sexuality education in India: A review of government and civil society-led curricula and strategies

The report is an analysis of the available CSE curricula as developed/ implemented by the central and state governments and CSOs for in-school and out-of-school adolescents in India, assessing the content of these curricula vis-a-vis global CSE frameworks, highlighting gaps and missing components and analyse the strengths and limitations of the curriculum from various programmatic perspectives. The report can be utilised to strengthen ongoing government programmes and provide a strong base for institutionalisation of comprehensive sexuality education in the country.

Vital Need for Sex Education in Indian Youth and Adolescents

• Editorial Commentary
• Published: 11 February 2020
• Volume 87 , page 255, ( 2020 )

Cite this article

• Rajni Sharma 1  

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Young adults (aged 19–24 y) and adolescents (10–19 y) constitute 31% of the Indian population and have unique health needs of which sexual health is very important though often neglected area [ 1 ]. This age group is especially vulnerable to experimentation and risky behavior including premarital sex and sexual abuse, exposing them to sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancy/abortion and psychological problems [ 2 ]. More than one-third of new cases of HIV/AIDS in India occur in the age group of 15–24 y [ 1 ]. According to NFHS-4 data, only 21% and 32% adult women and men, respectively, had comprehensive knowledge of HIV/AIDS and only 50% women knew about safe sex practices [ 3 ]. Furthermore, in the absence of authentic sources, adolescents and young adults frequently get wrong information from peers or mass media. Hence, sex education, also known as family life education (FLE), is paramount to impart correct knowledge as well as shape the right attitudes, beliefs and values [ 4 ].

However, delivery of sex education to this vulnerable group has been a challenge. The topic of sex is considered taboo and there is reluctance on part of the parents to discuss these issues at home. There are very few dedicated adolescent health clinics and health professionals may be ill-equipped to address their sex education needs. The National AIDS Control Organization and Ministry of Human Resource Development had designed the adolescent FLE for schools but it was mired in controversy and there was resistance from various Indian states in incorporating it in the curriculum [ 5 ].

In this issue, researchers from the National Research Institute, Pune, Brahme et al., report sex behavior, attitudes and education needs of college students [ 6 ]. Some important findings of their study include the perceived importance of parents in imparting sex education, need for early initiation of FLE beginning at 10 y of age in schools, and a demand for age-appropriate mobile apps in the era of smartphones. More such studies are needed from other parts of India to understand the sexual knowledge, attitude and beliefs of adolescents and young adults. These studies will help in designing education material, training programmes for teachers/health professionals/parents and mobile apps to address the sex education needs of Indian youth in a socio-culturally acceptable, scientific and effective manner.

Young People and HIV/AIDS - World Health Organization [PDF]. Available at: apps.searo.who.int › PDS_DOCS. Accessed 29 th January 2020.

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Tripathi N, Sekher TV. Youth in India ready for sex education? Emerging evidence from national surveys. PLoS One. 2013;8:e71584.

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Brahme R, Mamulwar M, Rahane G, et al. A qualitative exploration to understand the sexual behavior and needs of young adults: a study among college students of Pune. India Indian J Pediatr. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12098-019-03160-7 .

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Sharma, R. Vital Need for Sex Education in Indian Youth and Adolescents. Indian J Pediatr 87 , 255 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12098-020-03240-z

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Received : 04 February 2020

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DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s12098-020-03240-z

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Research Article

Youth in India Ready for Sex Education? Emerging Evidence from National Surveys

* E-mail: [email protected]

Affiliation International Institute for Population Sciences, Deonar, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Affiliation Department of Population Policies and Programmes, International Institute for Population Sciences, Deonar, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

• Niharika Tripathi, 
• T. V. Sekher

• Published: August 9, 2013
• https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0071584
• Reader Comments

Sex education/family life education (FLE) has been one of the highly controversial issues in Indian society. Due to increasing incidences of HIV/AIDS, RTIs/STIs and teenage pregnancies, there is a rising need to impart sex education. However, introducing sex education at school level always received mixed response from various segments of Indian society.

Data and Methods

We attempt to understand the expectations and experiences of youth regarding family life education in India by analysing the data from District Level Household and Facility Survey (DLHS-3: 2007–08) and Youth Study in India (2006–07). We used descriptive methods to analyse the extent of access to FLE and socio demographic patterning among Indian youth.

Results and Discussions

We found substantial gap between the proportion of youth who perceived sex education to be important and those who actually received it, revealing considerable unmet need for FLE. Youth who received FLE were relatively more aware about reproductive health issues than their counterparts. Majority among Indian youth, irrespective of their age and sex, favoured introduction of FLE at school level, preferably from standard 8 th onwards. The challenge now is to develop a culturally-sensitive FLE curriculum acceptable to all sections of society.

Citation: Tripathi N, Sekher TV (2013) Youth in India Ready for Sex Education? Emerging Evidence from National Surveys. PLoS ONE 8(8): e71584. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0071584

Editor: Ashlesh K. Murthy, Midwestern University, United States of America

Received: May 7, 2013; Accepted: July 6, 2013; Published: August 9, 2013

Copyright: © 2013 Tripathi, Sekher. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Funding: The authors have no support or funding to report.

Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Introduction

Sex is a very sensitive subject and public discussion on sexual matters is considered as a taboo in Indian society. Given this context, introducing sex education at school level always attracted objections and apprehensions from many quarters. Family life education (FLE) or Sex education refers to a broad programme designed to impart knowledge/training regarding values, attitudes and practices affecting family relationships [1] , [2] , [3] , [4] , [5] , [6] . It aims to develop the qualities and attitudes on which successful family life depends. The real purpose behind family life/sex education is the transfiguration of a male child into manhood and of a female child into womanhood. The education that provides knowledge on physical, social, moral, behavioural, and psychological changes and developments during puberty is termed as Adolescent Family Life Education. It teaches the adolescents about the role of boys and girls in family and society, responsibility and attitude of boys and girls towards each other, etc. within social context. Many psychologists believe that sex education begins at an early age and continues throughout the life of an individual. The purpose of sex education should be to facilitate the best possible integration between the physical, emotional and mental aspects of the personality, and the best possible assimilation between the individuals and the groups. Sex education also instils the essential information about conception, contraception and sexually transmitted diseases. It is a continuous process of developing attitudes, values and understanding regarding all situations and relationships in which people play roles as males or females [7] .

The major objectives of Family Life/Sex Education (FLE) can be broadly described as follows: 1) To develop emotionally stable children and adolescents who feel sufficiently secure and adequate to make decisions regarding their conduct without being carried away by their emotions. 2) To provide sound knowledge not only of the physical aspects of sex behaviour but also its psychological and sociological aspects, so that sexual experience will be viewed as a part of the total personality of the individual. 3)To develop attitudes and standards of conduct which will ensure that young people and adults will determine their sexual and other behaviour by considering its long range effects on their own personal development, the good of other individuals, and welfare of society as a whole [7] .

More than biological specifics, sex education should also include social and moral behaviour, proper attitudes and values towards sex, love, family life and interpersonal relations in the society. Due to growing incidences of HIV/AIDS, RTIs/STIs and teenage pregnancies, there is a need to impart sex education among youth. The problem of over-population also demands family life education, including family planning as a priority, as many of the young people are about to be married and should be aware of the responsibilities they have. A study on child abuse in India, conducted by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, reports that 53 percent of boys and 47 percent of girls surveyed faced some form of sexual abuse [8] . Therefore, family life education might help the vulnerable young population to be aware about their sexual rights and empower them to protect themselves from any undesired act of violence, sexual abuse and molestation. India’s National Population Policy also reiterates the need for educating adolescents about the risks of unprotected sex [9] . Furthermore, the provision of family life education might result into multiple benefits to the adolescent boys and girls. This might include delayed initiation of sexual activity, reduction in unplanned and early pregnancies and their associated complications, fewer unwanted children, reduced risks of sexual abuse, greater completion of education and later marriages, reduced recourse to abortion and the consequences of unsafe abortion, curb the spread of sexually transmitted diseases including HIV [10] .

Adolescence (10–19 years) is an age of opportunity for children marked with a time of transition from childhood to adulthood; wherein young people experience substantial changes in their physiology after puberty, but do not instantaneously imbibe the various associated roles, privileges and responsibilities of adulthood. This crucial period in the lives of young people presents prospect to promote their development and equip them with appropriate knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and skills (KABS) to help them successfully navigate through various nuisance and vulnerabilities of life, and realize the full development potential [11] .

Current statistics indicate that almost one in every fifth person on the globe is an adolescent, as they comprise 18 percent (1.2 billion) of world’s population in 2009, with 88 percent living in developing countries, particularly in the South Asia, the East Asia and the Pacific region [11] . India has the largest adolescent population (243 million), followed by China (207 million), United States of America (44 million), Indonesia and Pakistan (41 million each). Interestingly, more than 50 percent of the adolescent population lives in urban areas, which is expected to further reach 70 percent mark by 2050, with the largest increase likely to occur in the developing world. This entire scenario indicate the considerable demographic and socioeconomic challenges, particularly for the developing countries like India, in terms of meeting the specific needs for improving the survival and general health conditions, nutritional status, and sexual and reproductive health of the adolescents.

Recent literature on adolescents have documented that irrespective of being relatively healthy period of life, adolescents often engage in the range of risky and adventurous behaviours that might influence their quality of health and probability of survival in both short and long term over the life course [12] . These includes early pregnancy, unsafe abortions, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV, and sexual abuse and violence. Pregnancy related problems comprise a leading cause of death among adolescents aged 15–19 years, mainly due to unsafe abortions and pregnancy complications [13] . However, the sexual and reproductive health needs of adolescents and youth are poorly understood and grossly underappreciated owing to limitation of scientific evidence compounded with the unpreparedness of public health system, which may jeopardize the initiatives to advance the health and well-being of adolescents.

Adolescents and youth in India experience several negative sexual and reproductive health outcomes such as early and closely spaced pregnancy, unsafe abortions, STI, HIV/AIDS, and sexual violence at alarming scale. One in every five woman aged 15–19 years experience childbearing before 17 years of age that are often closely spaced; risk of maternal mortality among adolescent mothers was twice as high as compared to mothers aged 25–39 years [14] , [15] . Importantly, adolescents and youth comprise 31 percent of AIDS burden in India [16] . Furthermore, multiple socioeconomic deprivations further increase the magnitude of health problems for adolescents. This limits their opportunity to learn and access the appropriate health care services.

This inadvertent scenario calls for a serious and comprehensive public health initiative to provide Indian adolescents and youth with accurate and age-appropriate essential information and skills for a responsible lifestyle, that might help in reduction of risky sexual behaviour, early pregnancy, HIV/AIDS and STI, etc. Recently, recognizing the need of the time, Government of India has experimented with the provision of Adolescent Education Programme (AEP) to lay the foundation for a responsible lifestyle, including healthy relationships and safe sex habits among adolescents and youth. However, this initiative attracted mixed reactions from different sections of the Indian society. There is scanty scientific literature which throws light on the level of knowledge, perceptions and viewpoints on issues related to family life education among Indian adolescents and youth. Are adolescents and youth in India really prepared to understand and benefit from this new experiment? Hence there is a need for studies that scrutinize and critically evaluate the knowledge, attitude, perceptions, skills and experiences of family life education among Indian adolescents.

Controversy Over Introducing Sex Education in Schools

With the view to generate awareness and inculcate necessary skills among adolescents and youth, a scheme for adolescent education programme in the school curriculum was promoted by the National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) and the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Government of India, which led to a major controversy in 2007. The ardent opponents argued for a ban on starting sex education in schools on the ground that it corrupts the youth and offends ‘Indian values’ [17] , [18] . They contended that it may lead to promiscuity, experimentation and irresponsible sexual behaviour [19] . The critics also suggested that sex education may be indispensable in western countries, but not in India which has a rich cultural traditions and ethos. On the contrary, the proponents argued that conservative ideas have little place in a fast modernizing society like India, where attitudes towards sex education are changing rapidly. As fallout of this controversy, several Indian states including Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Goa declared that the course content as suggested by MHRD was unacceptable and thus banned the programme [1] .

At the same time, attempt towards the introduction of sex education at school level in India met with opposition from the fundamentalists arguing that it may degrade the tender minds and destroy the rich family systems in India. Furthermore, some teachers and principals were threatened that, “if you don’t stop sex education, neither will you remain in the jobs, nor will your schools survive”. However, the other side of the coin ( pro for sex education ) reflects supportive campaign towards introduction of sex education that may help to reserve the rich heritage and culture of India. Adolescents should be scientifically educated about the facts and myths related to sexual activities that may lead to number of health related risks. Being vulnerable to various changes associated with physical, emotional and psychological transitions, adolescents/youth must have proper knowledge of sex education that may empower them into healthy, productive and responsible adults [20] .

Though few politicians and religious leaders have opposed the introduction of sex education in schools, studies have shown that Indian adolescents and youth do not have sufficient information about sexual matters, thereby increasing the possibility of falling prey to various forms of sexual violence. TARSHI (Talking about Reproductive and Sexual Health Issues), a non-governmental organization running a helpline on sexual information, received over 59,000 calls from men, seeking information on sexual anatomy and physiology [1] . An analysis of this data showed that, 70 percent of the callers were below 30 years of age, while 33 percent were in the age group of 15 to 24 years, which indicates that young people do have the need, but lack adequate authentic source to receive appropriate and correct information in a positive manner. The WHO report (2003) on family life, reproductive health and population education documented that promotion of family life/sex education has resulted in delayed age of entering into sexual relationship, reduced number of partners, increased use of safer sex and contraception, and other positive behaviour [10] . It was further noted that sex education in schools did not encourage young people to have sex at earlier age; rather it delays the start of sexual activity and encourages young people to have safer sex. However, both the critiques and proponents of introducing family life/sex education in Indian schools propagate the analogous ideology of ‘sexual restraint’ i.e., delaying the initiation of sexual activity among adolescents before marriage, which may also help to curtail the menace of HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases and restrict the pace of population growth [21] .

India has become the second largest hub of HIV/AIDS pandemic in the world. The proponents of sex education stressed the need for providing knowledge about HIV/AIDS, teenage pregnancies and information about sexual health. In a survey of college students conducted by the All India Educational and Vocational Guidance Association, it was reported that 54 percent of males and 42 percent of females did not have adequate knowledge regarding matters of sex [7] . About 30 percent of males and upto 10 percent of females are sexually active during adolescence before marriage, though social attitudes clearly favour cultural norms of premarital chastity [14] .

We need to accept the fact that we are living in a complex world leading complicated lives. Preventing access to pornographic movies or erratic contents on television shows is not prudent, but adding a single chapter to the school curriculum is relatively simple and practical [22] . Mass media being highly influential has been part of both solution and of the problem in the area of sex and youth. It has been part of the solution because it has helped to bring sexual topics into discussions. Radio and television has been the medium in opening doors to the deliberations of several topics which were previously considered as taboo. A survey conducted in Mumbai found that 88 per cent of the boys and 58 per cent of the girls among college students had received no sex education from parents and their source of information were books, magazines, and youth counsellors [7] . Internet is the greatest culprit which makes pornography easily accessible in recent times. Studies have shown that vast majority of parents do not accept the responsibility for providing sex education to their sons or daughters [23] . However, another study states that 68 percent of the parents believe that they should be the primary sex educators of their children, followed by schools [24] .The apparent stigma attached to any discussion on sex in India is due to the fact that people tend to view sex education in a narrow sense, that is, the mere explanation of anatomical and biological differences. Ideally home is the best place for sex education and the attitudes of parents are of vital importance. When a child feels the subject as forbidden, he/she feels more curious to know about it which can lead to misleading information, if parents feel embarrassed in talking about sex with their children.

Available Evidences

The recent emerging scientific evidence across globe documents substantial confirmatory positive influence of sex education towards promoting overall health and well-being of adolescent and youth. A recent study from Nigeria presents paramount significance of providing sexual education to youth that helped them to develop critical thinking and insights on range of family life/sexual issues like premarital sex and pregnancy, abortion, teacher-student relationships and lesbianism [25] . Another study in Indonesia suggests the mixed viewpoint on the pros and cons of sex education among youth [26] . Proper information about sexuality should be provided to youth to help them grow healthy and responsible. A study conducted in Venezuela highlighted the importance of imparting sex education to youth, as it helped to prevent adolescent pregnancy, abortion, HIV/AIDS and sexual abuse [27] . A study in India revealed that majority of school teachers was in favour of imparting sex education to school children [28] . Fourteen years of age was considered to be the most appropriate for imparting sex education by 28.6 percent of school teachers. School teachers and doctors were considered to be the most appropriate persons for providing sex education. Another study from India attempted to assess the impact of sex education on the students noted that doctors were the first choice to impart sex education followed by school teachers; the preferred mean age to start sex education was 15–16 years [29] . A study conducted in seven private co-educational schools to understand the adolescent attitudes towards issues of sex and sexuality in India showed wide lacuna in the knowledge on sex and sexuality matters among adolescents [30] .

Majority of mothers believed that discouraging pre-marital intercourse should be the most important objective of sex education, and those who felt that their own sex education was inadequate were in support of providing sex education for their children [31] . Parents should provide sex education to their children in a friendly and informal atmosphere so that children may get rid of the idea that sex is dirty and be aware of their responsibilities [32] .

A survey conducted in Hyderabad and Secunderabad cities of India found that the major sources of information on sexual matters among adolescents were books and films, followed by friends [33] . An important observation emerging from this study is that, in spite of exposure towards sex education, many adolescents did not have the correct knowledge regarding reproduction process. This further raises serious questions regarding the content, technique and format of the sex education being imparted in certain institutions which failed to have a desired impact on adolescents/youth. Family life education for boys and girls at the adolescent stage should be constructive enough so as to contribute to healthier emotional growth and it must prepare them to enter into a responsible adulthood [34] . Adolescent boys and girls need sound and correct knowledge about sexual matters. In general, the knowledge among boys regarding sexual issues is more than that of girls may be because boys try to satisfy their curiosity more readily [23] . It was also found that educated parents help their children to clarify their doubts and anxieties about sexual matters in a more realistic way. The findings of National Family Health Survey show that majority of men and women in India favour family life education [35] . More than two-thirds of adults approve of teaching school children about physical changes in their bodies that come with puberty, although there is somewhat less approval of children learning about puberty in the opposite sex.

According to the Youth Study in India [36] , 83 percent of young men and 81 percent of young women (aged 15–24 years) felt the need to impart family life education. However, there exists a substantial rural-urban differential in reporting of the need for family life/sex education. Those who received the family life education consisted of only 23 percent of unmarried women and 17 percent of unmarried men.

Youth Ready for Sex Education?

Though few micro-level studies have been conducted in India to examine the knowledge, attitude and perceptions of adolescents toward family life education, yet there exists huge gap in appropriate understanding regarding various issues of family life/sex education and its effective implementation. Since there are supporters and opponents towards introducing sex education in Indian schools, it is most important to understand the perception and attitudes of youth on this controversial issue. This study is an attempt in the same direction using evidence from two nationally representative sample surveys to analyse the perceptions and experiences of family life education among young women in India. These large-scale household surveys [36] , [37] conducted across India and various parts thereof, provide a unique opportunity for the first time to gauge the attitudes of younger generation. In this study, the terms sex education/family life education/adolescent life education were interchangeably used.

The present study broadly attempts to gauge the views, perceptions, aspirations and experiences of adolescents and youth regarding family life education. The specific objectives are as follows:

• To study the perception regarding family life education (FLE) among adolescents and youth.
• To examine the experiences of youth who received family life education.
• To evaluate the awareness on reproductive health (RH) issues among youth and the impact of FLE on their awareness.

Ethics Statement

The study was based on an anonymous public use data set with no identifiable information on the survey participants; therefore no ethics statement is required for this work.

The data for the present analysis comes from two major household surveys in India. The District Level Household and Facility Survey (DLHS-3) [37] in 2007–08 is perhaps the largest ever demographic and health survey carried out in India with a sample size 7,20,320 households covering 601 districts of the country. The perception and knowledge about family life education, family planning, RTI/STI, HIV/AIDS and reproductive health issues were collected in this survey. About 1,60,550 unmarried women were interviewed in DLHS-3, using a structured interview schedule.

The second survey is the “Youth in India: Situation and Needs” conducted in 2006–07 in six Indian states [36] . The main objective of this survey is to gather evidence on key transitions experienced by youth as well as their awareness, attitudes and life choices. The study was conducted in the following selected Indian states: Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu. In all, 50,848 married and unmarried young women and men were successfully interviewed, from 1,74,037 sample households. Unmarried men and women as well as married women (15–24 years) were interviewed, whereas the age group for married men was extended to 15–29 years, in the first ever landmark survey on youth in India.

Literature suggests that the attitudes and behaviour of youth are usually influenced by socio-economic, cultural and demographic characteristics. The pertinent socio-economic and demographic characteristics considered in this study includes age groups (15–19 and 20–24 years), type of residence (rural and urban), religion (Hindu, Muslim, Christian and others), caste (Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, Other Backward Classes and others), education (non-literate, 1–5 years of schooling, 6–9 years and 10 years or above), economic status of the household as presented by wealth index and employment status (not working, agriculture, manual, non-manual). Awareness about contraceptives has been computed based on modern methods (sterilization, pills, condom, IUD, etc.) and traditional methods (rhythm, withdrawal, abstinence, etc.).

Table 1 presents the composite picture concerning the perceived importance of family life education (FLE) and the perception regarding at what age and standard it should be introduced in India. Nearly four-fifths of unmarried women (15–24 years of age) perceived that FLE is important. DLHS-3 asked women about their opinion regarding- at what age and at what level in school does the FLE should be introduced? Majority of women reported that FLE should be provided in the age group 15–17 years (38 percent) and initiated from the 8 th to 10 th standards (55 percent). The information regarding major sources of FLE among unmarried women who perceived FLE to be important was also collected. Majority of the respondents reported that the main source for providing FLE should be parents (81 percent), followed by teacher/school/college (55 percent), sibling/sister-in-law (50 percent), and friends/peers (30 percent) respectively. On the other hand, health care provider/experts (10 percent), husband/partner (4 percent), youth club/NGO worker (3 percent) were respectively chosen as other preferred sources of information on FLE among unmarried women in India.

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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0071584.t001

Table 2 indicates the proportion of women who actually received FLE and their experiences regarding the same. Around 50 percent of women actually received FLE, overwhelming majority from schools or colleges. The other sources were NGO programmes, youth clubs, government programmes, etc. Among the women who received FLE, majority reported that the teacher/trainee explained it in a way that can be understood and FLE answered/clarified many of their questions. It is important to note that, around 40 percent of women felt embarrassed while attending family life/sex education classes.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0071584.t002

Table 3 presents the percentage of unmarried women 15–24 years who perceived FLE to be important, and those who actually received FLE by selected demographic and socioeconomic characteristics in India. The prevalence of perceived importance of FLE was relatively high among the youth (81 percent) in India. However, only 49 percent of women actually received FLE. The relatively mature unmarried women (20–24 years) residing in urban areas with more than ten years of education, engaged in non-manual occupation, and coming from better-off families had higher prevalence of perceived importance of FLE as well as that of receiving FLE than others. In general, the perceived importance of FLE among youth in India is relatively high with strong demographic and socioeconomic differentials. The actual experience of FLE among youth is extremely limited.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0071584.t003

The knowledge and awareness on reproductive health issues among unmarried women were also collected in the DLHS-3. On an average, the women who received FLE had much better awareness on various reproductive health issues like RTI/STI, possibility of finding out the sex of a baby before birth, and knowledge about reducing chances of infecting HIV as compared with women who did not receive any FLE ( Table 4 ). In general, women who received the FLE were relatively more aware about methods of contraception as compared to their counterparts. For instance, among women who received FLE, nearly 98 and 27 percent of women were aware about any modern and traditional methods of contraception respectively. On the other hand, this figure declines to 89 and 12 percent respectively among women who do not receive FLE.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0071584.t004

Table 5 illustrates the young people's opinion on family life/sex education across men and women, and married and unmarried. Around 83 percent of young men and 78 percent of young women felt that it is important to impart family life/sex education to youth. Slightly large proportion of unmarried youth (84 percent of men and 81 percent of women) as compared to married youth (79 percent of men and 75 percent of women) reported family life/sex education to be important. Majority of young men and women observed that family life/sex education should be provided to adolescents in the age group 15–17 years. Regarding the perception of youth about the best person to impart family life/sex education, the preferences differed among men and women. Majority of young men reported that the best person to provide FLE should be teacher, whereas most young women suggested that parents are ideal persons to provide such education. Around 21 percent of young men and 11 percent of young women reported that the main source of providing family life/sex education can be friends.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0071584.t005

Table 6 indicates that, nearly 15 percent of young men and 14 percent of young women received family life/sex education. Majority received FLE through schools/colleges. Among those who received formal family life/sex education, majority felt that FLE answered many of their anxieties/queries and the teacher/trainee explained the subject well. Twenty one percent of men and 37 percent of women also reported that they felt embarrassed while attending family life/sex education. This, in a way suggests that the curriculum and the method of teaching should be context-specific and culturally sensitive.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0071584.t006

Discussion and Conclusion

The present study attempt to unravel the divergent views, perceptions and aspirations of adolescents and youth regarding family life education, its perceived importance, and the potential effects of family life education on array of reproductive health issues by using nationally representative household sample surveys in India. Young people (10–24 years) constitute about 315 million and represented about 31% of India’s population. They not only represent India’s future in the socio-economic and political realms, but nation’s ability to harness the demographic dividend. In the course of transition to adulthood, young people face significant risks related to sexual and reproductive health. Adolescent life education program intend to ensure the rights of the large section of adolescents/youth, and to develop them as healthy and responsible members of the family and society. Adolescents in all societies learn their responsibilities towards family by observing and following the behaviour of others. Due to rapid social changes occurring all over the world, the young generation is facing an enormous challenge in coping with the consequences of attrition in the traditional family system, social life, and values. Under this volatile environment, the family life education can help the adolescents to experience successful transition from childhood to adulthood.

One of the most significant findings of the study indicates that majority of youth perceived family life education to be important. This highlights that Indian adolescents realizes the range of potential health risks and challenges lurking before them and demands the appropriate knowledge, skills and training to lead a responsible and healthy life style. However, the study points out that only half of the unmarried women actually received any form of family life education. This critical mismatch between the potential demand for FLE and apparent lack of facility might lead to a brigade of untrained, ill-equipped and unmanageable group of risky young population who might indulge into unhealthy life style practices. Another finding that needs special attention relates to the appropriate age and standard at which the FLE should be initiated. The findings based on the opinions of unmarried women 15–24 years suggest that the FLE should be started at the age of 15 to 17 years and during 8 th to 10 th standard in schools.

One of the crucial issues that deem attention relates to the major sources of FLE. The study indicates that majority of unmarried women, who perceived FLE to be important, reported that parents to be the provider of FLE, followed by teacher/school/college, brother/sister/sister-in-law and friends/peer respectively. Therefore, it becomes apparent that FLE need not be only part of formal school curriculum; it should also be equally augmented in the first place by parents at home to eliminate all the misconceptions, inhibitions and doubts of adolescents on various aspects of family/sex life. The study also indicates that relatives and friends/peers could also be important avenues that need to be appropriately tapped to help the adolescents learn about the basic issues/rules of family/sex life skills safely and comfortably either at home, school or neighbourhood.

Addressing the discourse on the implementation of FLE in school curriculum in India, several scholars, administrators, and politicians have mooted the adverse impact of FLE and how it may denigrate the ‘rich Indian cultural values’ and ethos. However, our findings effectively nullifies all these apprehensions and convincingly illustrates that, among youth who received FLE, the awareness about various reproductive health issues and knowledge of contraceptive methods was far better and comprehensive compared to their counterparts who had no FLE. This further goes on to show that provision of FLE will benefit not only the adolescents, but many more generations to come by avoiding the menace of RTI/STI, unwanted pregnancies, HIV/AIDS, etc.

In the era of globalization and modernization, there still persist steep socioeconomic divide in the knowledge, attitudes and perception of individuals in Indian society. The same holds true with regard to benefits of FLE. Whether it relates to the perceived importance of FLE, or actual prevalence of FLE among unmarried women in India, we found substantial differentials across socio-economic groups. This indicates that even after more than six decades of planned development efforts in India, large proportion of population living in rural areas, illiterate, marginalized social groups, continue to lag behind when it comes to the adoption of modern attitudes and healthy sexual behaviour. Hence, it is crucial for policy makers and program managers to take note of these socioeconomic hierarchies in Indian society, while designing and implementing any FLE program.

However, most political and religious leaders in India are unfortunately not in favour of sex education at school level. The Rajya Sabha of Indian Parliament constituted a committee to examine the implementation of the Adolescent Education Programme (AEP). The committee categorically opined against the implementation of sex education at school level, and felt that AEP may cause irreparable damage to the future of India by polluting the young and tender minds, and could invariably promote promiscuity. The report also took serious objections on the study materials and kits prepared for the implementation of the AEP in Indian schools. The report while denouncing the case for the implementation of any AEP at school level emphasized the need for appropriately passing on the message of no sex before marriage among adolescents and declaring it as immoral, unethical and unhealthy. In addition, students should be made aware of marriageable age which is 21 years in case of boys and 18 years in case of girls and any indulgence in sex outside the institution of marriage was against the social ethos [38] .

Finally, we summarize the key issues that emerge from this study. There exists a wide gap between the proportion of women who perceive FLE is important and those who actually received any sex education. It was also true that women who received family life education had better knowledge and awareness on reproductive health issues than counterparts. The level of awareness and knowledge regarding Family Life Education is more among the educated, better-off sections and those living in urban areas. The growing population, changing life styles and increasing incidences of HIV/AIDS is a great challenge. In order to prepare the youth to face these challenges, introducing sex education is an important step. The nation-wide surveys clearly illustrate that overwhelming majority of young women and men are in favour of introducing family life education. The government and civil society should initiate a national debate to arrive at a consensus on this issue among various sections of the society. The study strongly argues the necessity to formulate appropriate policy regarding family life education so as to address the unmet need for scientific learning/training on matters of family/sexual life among adolescent/youth. Imparting sex education in an appropriate and culturally-sensitive manner at school level should be a national priority.

Author Contributions

Conceived and designed the experiments: NT TVS. Performed the experiments: NT TVS. Analyzed the data: NT. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: NT TVS. Wrote the paper: NT TVS.

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Unveiling Taboos: Sexual Education Perspectives in India

• 02 Dec 2023
• 12 min read
• GS Paper - 2
• Issues Related to Women

This editorial is based on “Social justice, sexual education, the need of our times” which was published in The Hindu on 30/11/2023. It argues that India needs a comprehensive and inclusive sexual education curriculum that addresses issues such as gender, sexuality, consent, violence, and diversity.

For Prelims: NFHS-5 report , HIV , Adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health Strategy (ARSH) National Adolescent Health Programme (RKSK)

For Mains: Sexual Education: Its Significance, influence of caste and gender Challenges and Way Forward

In Indian sexual education, caste and gender significantly influence the experiences of young individuals. The media often highlights conflicts arising from caste differences among young people, and legal issues related to relationships crossing caste boundaries. It's crucial to understand the connection between social change and sexuality, emphasizing the need for relevant education. Empowering youth with critical thinking and a commitment to social justice can help address these challenges, fostering a more cohesive and inclusive society.

What is the Significance of Sexual Education?

• By imparting knowledge about consent, personal boundaries, and ways to prevent sexual abuse, sexual education contributes to creating a more equitable and just society.
• When education is considered a fundamental right, sexual education naturally becomes an essential component of it, ensuring that young people are equipped with the knowledge necessary for their well-being.
• By providing comprehensive information, sexual education can empower individuals to make informed choices regarding their sexual health.
• Understanding Gender Constructs: Sexual education helps students understand the those within the LGBTQA+ spectrum, it contributes to a more inclusive and accepting society. This understanding can lead to improved relationships and interactions among individuals of different genders.
• Transformation of Gender Relationships: Implementing sexual education in schools has the potential to transform gender relationships both at home and in society. By promoting respect, understanding, and open communication, it can contribute to breaking down stereotypes and fostering healthier attitudes toward gender roles.
• The NFHS-5 report found that 22% of women and 31% of men in the 15-49 age group have comprehensive knowledge of HIV/AIDS.

How Caste and Gender Impact Sexual Education in India?

• For example, some studies have found that lower caste students face discrimination, harassment, and violence in schools, which can limit their opportunities to learn about sexuality and reproductive health.
• For example, some castes may have more conservative or patriarchal views on sexuality, gender roles, and marriage, while others may have more liberal or egalitarian views.
• For example, some studies have found that girls in India face more barriers than boys to access sexual education , such as lack of privacy, safety, and mobility, as well as social stigma, shame, and fear.
• Gender can also influence the content and delivery of sexual education, which may be biased or incomplete, and fail to address the diversity and complexity of gender identities and expressions, such as those of transgender and non-binary people.

What Additional Obstacles Does Sexual Education Encounter in India?

• The states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have banned or refused to implement sex education in schools to preserve culture.
• Conservative Attitude: Sexual education in India faces several barriers, such as conservative attitudes, limited availability, and lack of engagement. Many people view sexual education as promoting promiscuity and immorality, which can make it difficult to implement comprehensive sexual education programs.
• Limited Curriculum: Many schools in India do not provide adequate or quality sex education, and teachers may lack the necessary training and materials to deliver it effectively. Some schools only focus on the biological aspects of sex, while others ignore the topic altogether or conduct workshops on health and hygiene instead.
• Language Barrier : Absence of vocabulary in regional languages for discussing concepts like consent. India has a diverse linguistic landscape, and many terms related to sexual health may not have equivalents in local languages. This can make it difficult to communicate effectively and sensitively about sexual health issues.
• Lack of Political Will : Political parties and leaders often exhibit reluctance to promote sexual education, aiming to appease conservative groups and align with their ideologies. For instance, practices such as female genital mutilation are still prevalent in various parts of the world, and India is no exception to this trend.

What Should be the Way Forward?

• The government must bring all the states on board and encourage them to promote sexual education.
• This integration can be achieved through collaboration with educational experts, psychologists, and sociologists.
• Initiatives like the Adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health Strategy (ARSH) and the National Adolescent Health Programme (RKSK) should be expanded to reach a wider audience, including pre-adolescents.
• This involves educating students about their rights, responsibilities, and the legal framework surrounding sexual interactions.
• Teacher Training: To effectively implement sexual education, there should be a focus on training teachers. Workshops, seminars, and training programs can equip educators with the necessary knowledge, skills, and sensitivity to address diverse issues related to sexual education in the classroom.
• Utilizing Existing Resources: Various international and national bodies have developed curricula, teaching aids, and materials for sexual education such as the IPPF Framework for Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE). Leveraging these existing resources can streamline the development of educational materials and ensure a standardized approach to sexual education across schools.
• Community Engagement and Support: In order to create a supportive environment, community engagement is crucial. Involving parents, guardians, and community leaders in discussions about the importance of sexual education can help dispel myths and foster a more open and accepting atmosphere.
• Continuous evaluation of the effectiveness of sexual education programs will ensure their relevance and impact.

A holistic approach that combines government commitment, educational integration, legal literacy, teacher training, resource utilization, community engagement, and continuous evaluation is essential for the way forward in sexual education in India. By addressing these aspects collectively, India can progress towards fostering a generation that is well-informed, respectful, and equipped to navigate healthy sexual relationships.

How to tackle India’s sexual violence epidemic – it starts with sex education

Lecturer in Criminology, Sheffield Hallam University

Disclosure statement

Madhumita Pandey does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Sheffield Hallam University provides funding as a member of The Conversation UK.

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“Do you masturbate?”, “When did you first have sexual intercourse?”, “Did you ask for consent?” These are just some of the taboo-breaking questions I asked convicted rapists in a Delhi prison during interviews for my research .

Most of these men did not understand what consent meant or that it needed to be sought. Their stories also highlighted a sense of entitlement and ownership over the victim. I was not particularly surprised by their discomfort and lack of awareness. I myself had never received any form of sex education at home or at school while growing up in India.

Soon after the 2012 Delhi gang-rape , Avaaz Foundation , a US-based non-profit organisation, gathered over 1.1m signatures on their online petition to start an extensive public education programme to dispel traditional cultural attitudes towards women. In their 2013 report , which looked at how to tackle India’s rape epidemic through education, they even set out a four-step public education campaign for changing sexist attitudes.

Since then, several public awareness campaigns on recognising and reporting violence against women have been seen in India, some developed by NGOs , international organisations and some by or in collaboration with the Ministry of Women and Child Development . But India is yet to see a nationwide campaign that focuses explicitly on changing everyday normalised misogynistic attitudes.

My own research highlights the role of education as a medium for change – and calls for the inclusion of a comprehensive sexuality education module in the school curriculum.

Growing up in India

Young men in India mature and develop in a male dominated environment, with little or no sex education. And in rural areas, with very little contact with female peers after puberty. Together, this leads to misdirected masculinity , characterised by male sexual dominance and unequal gender attitudes and behaviour.

Differences in gender roles intensify during adolescence , when boys enjoy new privileges reserved only for men – such as autonomy, mobility, opportunity and power. Whereas girls have to start enduring restrictions. Their parents curtail their mobility, monitor their interactions with males and in some cases even withdraw them from school . This is why, India is in great need of comprehensive sexuality education or modules focusing on sexual violence and exploitation awareness.

Such lessons can help to empower young people by highlighting women’s changing roles in society. And they can also provide a safe space to address distorted views of masculinity and create awareness of violence against women.

A comprehensive curriculum-based sexuality module, such as the one launched by UNESCO in 2018, can help young boys and girls understand their bodies and the age-related changes better. And it can also teach young people about consent and respecting each others’ personal space. Sex education should also be a space to learn about menstruation, sexual intercourse, sexually transmitted diseases and risks of pregnancy.

Young people also need to know about the risk of sexual exploitation and abuse. This in turn will allow them to recognise abuse, should it occur, and to protect themselves. Parents should also be involved in this process – findings from my research highlight the importance of children witnessing positive and equitable gender roles at home.

Global problem

According to UN Women – the UN organisation dedicated to gender equality – 35% of women worldwide have experienced either physical or sexual violence at some point in their lives.

Check out our India Tomorrow podcast series, exploring major issues facing Indian society .

We are now living in the #Metoo era where more and more people are opening up about their own experiences of sexual violence. Yet sex and sexuality still remain taboo subjects in India. Young children need to have a safe environment to discuss these issues. This is important because ultimately, unless people have conversations about sexuality, the issue of sexual violence in India – or in any other part of the world – will never be addressed.

Sex education is more than just talking about sexual intimacy. It includes reproductive health, sexually-transmitted diseases, contraceptives, consent, gender identity, gender equality and self worth – all of which are important themes when addressing sexual violence.

In 2015, the New Zealand Ministry of Education released a new curriculum policy document for sexuality education in all schools. This policy is a rare international example of a curriculum document that explicitly values diversity and promotes inclusive school environments, and it is important to encourage schools to view sexuality as innately motivated by social and political factors. Students also need to be taught to critically think and learn about sexuality and all that it encompasses. Particularly as research shows how schools all around the world act as key locations for exclusion and marginalisation of non-heterosexual youth. The new policy also approaches sexuality education as an area of study rather than a health intervention.

In its historical ruling in 2018, the Supreme Court of India decriminalised homosexuality . The judgement reflects the rapid social change in the country. Building on this momentum, sexuality must now be positioned as an area of learning and not an intervention. This is a crucial step in the battle to end sexual violence against women in India.

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• Delhi rape case
• Sexual assault
• Women's rights
• Global perspectives

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Sex education in Indian classrooms gains prominence, but has seen sporadic success so far

Schools with a formal sex education curriculum are a minority. there have been instances of pushback from both parents and communities. however, many educators believe that this is a crucial step, as it teaches children critical life skills like body confidence and gender equity. it also creates awareness around the prevention of violence, communication, consent and respect..

Challenging The Status Quo Of Sex Education in India

In India, there remains a perception that sex education may corrupt or spoil the youth in the country. It is considered as ‘western’ and not a part of ‘Indian culture’. The pervasiveness of such ideas has justified restricting access to information regarding sexual and reproductive health for adolescents. This, in turn, has made young people more vulnerable to gender-based violence, STI/Ds including HIV, menstrual hygiene related infections and unintended pregnancies. Such attitudes also deny them the information and skills that they are entitled to as adolescents, limiting their sexual agency. 

I remember when I first came across the word ‘sex’ in a newspaper and out of childlike curiosity asked my mother what this word meant. She deftly replied, “You shouldn’t be reading all this”, prying the paper away from me and evading any further questions regarding this topic. 

The lack of emphasis on sex education has made young people more vulnerable to gender-based violence, STI/Ds including HIV, menstrual hygiene related infections and unintended pregnancies. Such attitudes also deny them the information and skills that they are entitled to as adolescents, limiting their sexual agency. 

Also read: National Education Policy Draft: How Was Sexuality Education Addressed?

Growing up, sex was never something that was addressed openly either at homes or in school spaces. It was only in hushed voices that curious adolescents discussed the little information (mostly misinformation) that they could get their hands on. Even in school, that one chapter in Biology on Reproduction was quickly skimmed over by an awkward teacher who could not get themselves to say the words “vagina” or “penis”. This taboo surrounding sex in India has made sex education an inherently difficult praxis to navigate. Over the last few years, we at None In Three have been working on a research project examining the link between gender bias and violence against women, and our participants’ stories often showed the prevalence of taboos in talking about sex:

“[…] Our teachers told us that we can go to temples, I asked my mother, and she said no, I cannot go to temple during periods. There is a lot of confusion.

What do you do?

Nayna: : I go to the temple; I think we can go to the temple, that it is not wrong. God has given us this, and why should we hide from God? I go. 

M: Mom does not oppose?

Nayna: She says, God will curse me .

-Nayna, 18, 12 th standard

Our research shows that Nayna is not alone in her confusion. Parents seldom discuss sex openly and instead resort to prescribing traditional customs and preaching abstinence. In 2001, in a study on urban women in Mumbai, Leena Abraham wrote, “…lack of knowledge becomes convenient while imposing other means of control over their sexuality such as instilling a fear of pregnancy in them.” This situation has not changed in the last 19 years as sexual health awareness amongst young women remains woefully limited.

It is crucial to ask ourselves, why is there a silence surrounding sex and sexuality? By not openly addressing these issues, this silence is contributing to a culture of sexism, homophobia, rape, and sexual violence. In the absence of reliable sources of sex education, adolescents receive information only from their peer group networks, magazines, or through the internet and porn. This information may be regressive, based on age-old myths, heteronormative narratives or be gender biased. This silence leads to associating shame, fear, or guilt with sex, developing a negative body image, lowering self-esteem and may lead to problematic ideas regarding sex, gender equality and violence.

According to the National Family Health Survey IV (2014-15), it is estimated that nearly 40% of women marry before the legal age of 18, while 26% of men marry before the age of 21. Further, by the age of 18, 39% of women have had sexual intercourse, the number rising to 59% by the age of 20. The absence of crucial knowledge about their own bodies makes them more vulnerable to sexual violations. It is high time that their needs are addressed. Adolescents require a safe space to be able to discuss all their queries in a manner that is gender sensitive and responsible, building empathy and acceptance for their fellow peers. A comprehensive sexuality education, which goes beyond sex to discuss concepts of consent, safety, feeling comfortable in your own body, as well as pleasure, is crucial. Given this context, it is important to examine the developments regarding sex education in India. 

In 1952, India became the first country in the world to have a National Family Planning Programme (NFPP). Across the nation, there were large scale awareness campaigns popularising slogans like ‘Ham Do Hamare Do’ ( We two and our two ) as a large population increasingly came to be seen as economically unfeasible. It was this public discourse on population control rather than reproductive health and rights that historically shaped our current debates on sex education.

By the 1970s, to deal with this problem of overpopulation, the Indian government introduced a population education programme. This was the ideological grounding of the NFPP. It advocated small families and directly linked India’s underdevelopment to overpopulation. By the 1990s, all major educational institutions had these ideas deeply embedded within their textbooks and curricula. The ideas propagated by the NFPP were inherently hegemonic and gendered. It was particularly aimed at poor and marginalised women, who were coerced to get sterilisation by their husbands in exchange for incentives by the government. Most of the time, the women were not given complete information about the procedure or warnings about side effects. There was a complete lack of informed consent in the practice. The situation persists today as adolescent sexual and reproductive health workers (ASHAs or accredited social health activists) continue to receive targets for sterilisation despite the government announcing a “target free” approach in 1996. In 2014, the Chhattisgarh government had planned 1,50,000 female sterilisations as compared to the 8,000 vasectomies for men.

In 1994, there was a significant development in the conversation with the International Conference on Population and Development, the emphasis within education shifted away from population control and moved towards Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health or ASRH. As a part of its agenda, governments were now required to give compulsory sex education to the youth in their respective countries. In 2006, in a collaborative effort between The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), National AIDS Control Organization (NACO), and UNICEF, the government launched the Adolescent Education Programme (AEP) that was to be a part of the curriculum in schools nationwide. This programme included information about basic physiological changes that take place in the body during adolescent years, information about STIs, contraception, and conception. 

However, the purpose of this program was primarily to control HIV/AIDS, a third of whose carriers, it was claimed, were the youth in schools whose sexual attitudes needed urgent rectification. There was also a stark similarity between the new AEP and the earlier population control programmes. While earlier it was the oppressed who were the subject of sexual reform and represented a problem for national development, the focus shifted on to the adolescents, whose supposed unbridled sexuality needed to be disciplined and controlled for better national health. 

By 2007, the AEP was banned in 12 states including Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa, the cited reason being that it was too explicit and promoted wrong values. In 2014 with a new right-wing government in power, India’s then Health Minister, Harsh Vardhan declared that he wanted to ban sex education and talked about its replacement with yoga classes and teaching “Indian culture” and values, supporting abstinence instead of education on sexual and reproductive choices. Now, while some parts of the AEP are selectively taught in schools, just the basic information regarding sex and menstruation is imparted. Sex is talked about clinically and there is still no space for students to freely communicate with the teacher. However, even this happens rarely as most schools, both private and public, continue without any formal sex education. 

A report by Nirantar Trust states that “ the right to sexuality education should be considered an inherent part of the rights to life, health, expression, education and information that have been recognized as fundamental rights under the Constitution of India .”  

While it is important to have sex education at an institutional level in schools, we must also not forget that a sizeable number of adolescents in India do not attend formal schooling. Therefore, we must take these conversations beyond the classroom and through awareness, create an environment that encourages these discussions openly and freely, outside of the classroom. 

Also read: Is Sexuality Education Against Indian Culture?

Providing adolescents with a holistic sexuality education, which is rooted in social justice so it includes issues like consent, safety and pleasure will not only help in structurally combating sexual violence, but also help question patriarchal norms and challenge traditions and myths such as ‘ girls should not go to the temple during their periods’ . This will also empower adolescents with the skills and knowledge to make healthy and positive life decisions regarding their well-being. Moreover, it is their right as adolescents to be able to do so. 

Gauri Pawsey is a junior research assistant at None in Three Research Centre India , Mumbai, which is is a transnational research project that commenced in October 2017 at University of Huddersfield, UK .

An estimated one in three women in the world face gender-based violence every single day. And to turn that statistic into “None in Three”, countries UK, India, Uganda, and Jamaica have come together to engage with students and other stakeholders to eradicate this once and for all. They can be found on Facebook , Instagram , Twitter , YouTube .

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6 Organisations Creating Safe Spaces To Talk About Sexual Health, Abuse & Education In India

A population of almost two billion, and most Indian parents will never disclose to their children just how babies are born. Never mind the safe way of going about it, we are never even taught about the existence of sex.

The importance of sex education can not be stressed upon enough –– in fact, it must not be denied. As a natural part of life, one must be aware of sex and all that brings –– from the choice of participating in it to who one chooses to do it with, and safe practices to its notions of pleasure, sex education is an all-important topic that is yet to be normalised in India.

Sex education is often mistaken to be knowledge solely regarding the act of sex and how it must take place –– it is, however, way more than that. It is needed for young individuals to understand consent and be able to categorise certain actions as sexual abuse . The lack of information leads many young Indians to believe that sexual abuse is part and parcel of life.

With that being said, many organisations possess the aim of educating those who need education –– on sex, sexuality, health, consent, abuse and more. Here are just some of them.

I. Iesha Learning

Recognising that the kind of sex education that exists in the West is not fit for India and its audience, Iesha Learning contextualises information and delivers them in a manner that seems unsurprising –– learning about sex and all its attributes should not be jarring.

Through media, games, discussions, and worksheets designed for teachers to use with ease, Iesha aids the process of accurate information dissemination to children of appropriate age. By adopting Iesha’s course in schools, NGOs or institutions, one can ensure the lack of judgement and taboos in matters of sex education. From puberty to menstruation and sexuality to consent, Iesha’s content is capable of making a world of a difference.

Find Iesha Learning here .

II. Our Voix

This not-for-profit organisation feels strongly about the need to get children and young adults to understand the difference between good touch and bad touch –– without which, all touch may be considered normal. With their preventive programs on child sex abuse, Our Voix sensitively offers appropriate knowledge.

Not just that, the organisation also has its own ‘Know Your Rights To Stay Safe’ comic book to help engage children, rather than unload information on them. They are proof that sex education does not stop at biology and extends to safety, rights and consent.

Find Our Voix here .

III. Pratisandhi

With a mission to move toward a more progressive and inclusive mindset, Pratisandhi (synonymous with ‘resistance’) is a youth-led non-profit organisation. They aim to provide age-appropriate education on sexual health through teaching and even hold donation drives to cater to menstrual health. It is a reminder that sexual health is an umbrella with many needs that call to be catered for.

Providing access to accurate information across the board is a step to reduce judgement around such conversations –– much-needed ones. Pratisandhi, founded in 2018, does the same with its 80+ members.

Find Pratisandhi here .

IV. Super School

The Responsibly Yuva (TRY) under Super School India is a collective that organises workshops under ‘civic sense, values, and sex education’. Not only do they speak of safer sex, but they also educate the youth on sexuality, safe and unsafe touch, attraction and healthy relationships, cyber safety and more –– basically, everything one must know in order to be informed and respectful.

The sessions are conducted at their centre in Delhi , as well as at other schools in the city through collaboration. Creating a safe space for youngsters, TRY is on its way to clear taboos and myths about sex education through their no-judgement sessions. Since its inception in 2017, it has impacted over 1,800 children directly.

Find Super School here .

Talking About Reproductive and Sexual Health Issues (TARSHI) aims to create public awareness around sexual and reproductive health. It ‘conducts training, develops publications, participates in public awareness and education initiatives, runs an infoline, and provides technical support for advocacy initiatives’.

Their rights-based perspective does much for safety and inclusivity –– in fact, they create Safe, Inclusive and Sexuality-Afforming (SISA) spaces to allow people to stray away from judgement and have no fear of sharing or learning anything related to sex, sexuality and health.

Find Tarshi here .

VI. ThatMate

Using technology for good, ThatMate encourages youngsters to enrol and engage with their application that along with its AI bot answers their queries. They also expose them to the needed information in interesting ways, such as comic books, while aiming to bridge the mental and sexual health awareness gap.

ThatMate also targets parents for sensitisation toward these topics, and has doctors and counsellors on board to help with guidance. With a holistic approach using the right tools, ThatMate makes learning about sexual health as normal as any other topic in class.

Find ThatMate here .

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Understanding Sex Education in India: Importance, Challenges and Way Forward

• RealShePower
• March 30, 2023

Table of Contents

Introduction.

Sex education is a crucial aspect of adolescent health and well-being . It equips individuals with the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to make informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health. However, in India, sex education continues to face challenges despite its growing importance in a rapidly changing society.

The Importance of Sex Education in India

Sex education is essential in a country like India where the adolescent population is rapidly growing, and the incidence of teenage pregnancies , sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and HIV/AIDS is on the rise. Inadequate sex education can lead to unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortions, and increased rates of STIs and HIV/AIDS. Additionally, it can perpetuate gender stereotypes and lead to sexual violence and exploitation.

Effective sex education can help prevent these outcomes by providing accurate and age-appropriate information on sexual and reproductive health, including contraception, STIs, and consent. It can also help promote healthy relationships, gender equality, and respect for diversity.

• Read: Understanding Reproductive Health for Empowered Teen Girls

Challenges Faced by Sex Education in India

Despite its importance, sex education faces several challenges in India. One of the biggest challenges is societal attitudes towards sex education, which can be conservative and taboo. In many parts of India, discussing sex and sexuality is considered immoral and inappropriate. This attitude towards sex education can lead to limited access to information and a lack of awareness about sexual and reproductive health.

Another challenge is the limited availability of sex education in schools. Although the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) introduced sex education as part of the curriculum in 2005, it remains a contentious issue, and its implementation has been inconsistent. Many schools do not provide comprehensive sex education, and teachers may lack the necessary training and resources to deliver it effectively.

A third challenge is the lack of engagement with parents and communities. In India, parents and communities play a significant role in shaping adolescent attitudes towards sex and sexuality. However, parents may feel uncomfortable discussing sex education with their children or lack the necessary knowledge to do so effectively. This lack of engagement can result in conflicting messages about sexual and reproductive health and lead to confusion among adolescents.

A Way Forward for Effective Sex Education in India

Despite the challenges faced by sex education in India, there are ways to ensure its effectiveness. One way is to adopt a comprehensive approach to sex education that addresses not only the physical aspects of sexual and reproductive health but also the social and emotional aspects. This approach should be age-appropriate and culturally sensitive and take into account the diverse needs of adolescents.

Another way is to provide training and resources to teachers to deliver effective sex education. This includes training on how to create a safe and inclusive learning environment, how to address sensitive topics, and how to communicate effectively with adolescents.

Engaging with parents and communities is also crucial for effective sex education. This can be done by involving them in the development and implementation of sex education programs and providing them with the necessary information and resources to support their children’s sexual and reproductive health.

Finally, promoting open and honest discussions about sex and sexuality is essential for changing societal attitudes towards sex education in India. This can be achieved through public awareness campaigns and advocacy efforts that emphasize the importance of sex education for adolescent health and well-being.

• Read: 5 reasons why you need to be teaching sex education

Sex education is an essential aspect of adolescent health, but in India, it continues to face challenges. These challenges can be addressed through a comprehensive approach that takes into account the diverse needs of adolescents, provides training and resources to teachers, engages with parents and communities, and promotes open and honest discussions about sex and sexuality . By doing so, we can ensure that adolescents have access to the information and skills necessary to make informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health and promote a healthier, more equitable society.

Some Interesting Facts:

• In a survey conducted by the National Family Health Survey in 2019-20, it was found that only 38.1% of women and 35.7% of men in India aged 15-49 have ever received sex education.
• A study conducted by the World Health Organization in 2018 found that nearly 30% of girls in India are married before the age of 18, which increases the risk of early and unintended pregnancies.
• India has the third-highest number of people living with HIV in the world, with an estimated 2.35 million people living with the virus in 2019.
• In 2016, the Indian government introduced the Adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health (ARSH) program, which aims to improve access to sexual and reproductive health services for adolescents.
• According to the Indian Medical Association, about 70% of young people in India are ignorant of the risks of unprotected sex and the use of contraceptives.

What is sex education?

Sex education is the process of providing information and guidance to individuals about sexual and reproductive health. It covers topics such as contraception, STIs, puberty, and healthy relationships.

Why is sex education important?

Sex education is important because it helps individuals make informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health. It can help prevent unintended pregnancies, STIs, and HIV/AIDS, promote healthy relationships, and address gender stereotypes and sexual violence.

Is sex education mandatory in India?

Sex education is not mandatory in India, but it is included in the National Curriculum Framework. However, its implementation has been inconsistent, and many schools do not provide comprehensive sex education.

What is the legal framework for sex education in India?

Sex education is not covered under any specific legislation in India. However, the National Curriculum Framework, which sets the guidelines for education in India, includes sex education as part of the curriculum.

What are the different approaches to sex education in India?

There are three approaches to sex education in India – abstinence-only, abstinence-plus, and comprehensive sex education. The abstinence-only approach emphasizes abstinence from sexual activity until marriage, while the abstinence-plus approach promotes abstinence as the best option but also includes information on contraception and STIs. Comprehensive sex education covers a range of topics including relationships, gender, puberty, and sexual health.

Is sex education only for adolescents?

No, sex education is important for people of all ages. It can help individuals make informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health throughout their lives.

Are there any cultural barriers to sex education in India?

Yes, in India, sex education faces cultural barriers due to conservative attitudes towards sex and sexuality. Many people view sex education as promoting promiscuity and immorality, which can make it difficult to implement comprehensive sex education programs. Additionally, there is a lack of education and awareness about sexual and reproductive health, which can perpetuate myths and misconceptions.

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New Delhi: School children will be taught safe use of internet and social media, reproductive health, prevention of HIV and gender stereotypes under the new ‘Health and Wellness Curriculum’ developed by the Narendra Modi-led NDA government.

The ministries of Human Resource Development and Health and Family Welfare developed the curriculum together, and it was launched by the respective ministers, Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ and Harsh Vardhan, on 12 February.

The curriculum also includes sex education, even though the phrase itself hasn’t been used anywhere in the document, which has been accessed by ThePrint. Instead, the phrase used is ‘adolescence education’. This was earlier a separate curriculum, but has now been merged with this.

To start with, the National Council for Education Research and Training (NCERT) has come up with the programme for classes 6 to 10. It will further develop modules for classes 11 and 12.

Also read: RSS-backed body says no need for sex education, doesn’t want it in New Education Policy

Growing up healthy

The curriculum focuses on teaching things beyond what classroom textbooks teach and will be covered in 24 weeks. Children will be taught the curriculum through comic strips, role playing, group discussions and classroom activities.

The curriculum has been divided into 11 modules — growing up healthy; emotional well-being and mental health; interpersonal relationships; values and responsible citizenship; gender equality; nutrition, health and sanitation; promotion of healthy lifestyles; prevention and management of substance misuse; reproductive health and HIV prevention; safety and security against violence and injuries; and promotion of safe use of internet, media and social media.

Lessons on subjects such as menstruation and nocturnal emissions for children hitting puberty are a part of the module called ‘growing up healthy’. The curriculum explains the phenomenon of young boys hitting puberty through a comic strip that shows a child feeling embarrassed about having a nocturnal emission when he wakes up with wet pants. The child then speaks to his older brother about it, who tells him that it’s all natural at his age.

The module mentions various case studies about children hitting puberty, and teachers have been asked to discuss various scenarios with students through role play.

For teaching the misuse of social media and internet, the study module suggests that students should be asked to write how much time they spend on social media, internet and other activities, and what they gain out of it, so that they can understand the advantages and disadvantages.

NCERT officials say there was a huge demand for teaching the correct use of social media to schoolchildren.

Also read: There’s only one way to tackle India’s sexual violence epidemic – sex education

Busting gender stereotypes

The curriculum also includes a module on gender equality, which teaches students about gender stereotypes and tries to bust them. “Gender is socially constructed and thus can be changed over time. We are all equal and deserve to be treated equally,” the module says.

As an activity to understand gender roles, students have been asked to draw a chart, with tasks such as washing clothes, playing a sport or listening to music on one side, and who spends more time in performing them on the other.

At the end of the activity, a message tells students that, “if given an opportunity, girls, boys and trans-genders are capable and should perform all kinds of tasks and work within the household as well as outside”.

“When individuals are treated in an unequal manner and are denied certain rights on the basis of their gender, it is called gender-based discrimination. Gender discrimination may affect girls, trans-genders and boys,” the module adds.

Also read: In breaking transgender stereotypes in Delhi govt schools, this NGO junked its own

Who will teach?

Under this curriculum, two teachers, preferably one male and one female, will be appointed as ‘health and wellness ambassadors’ for students. The training of these teachers will begin shortly, and they are expected to start teaching children from the coming academic session in July.

“A National Resource Group of 40-50 people will be formed, which will further train teachers in states. The curriculum will be implemented in government schools to start with, and then we will take it private schools,” said an NCERT official.

Officials said the curriculum has been developed after extensive research of more than two years by a team over 80 people from the health ministry, NCERT, NGOs working in health sector, and other subject experts.

“NCERT had invited public suggestions for a separate project related to children, and we got feedback that children should be taught about the misuse of social media, busting gender stereotypes and internet usage, which is why it was decided that all of this will be included in a single curriculum,” said another NCERT official who has worked on the curriculum.

“We have merged adolescence education also in this curriculum so that it is easier for the educators to cover all aspects related to teenage children.”

Also read: ‘Students losing interest’, NCERT gets book to teach maths through rhyme, riddle & story

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• Sex education

Good idea provided the teachers themselves do not abuse the children and children correctly understand the subject.

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India needs comprehensive sexuality education

Syllabus: GS1/Population & Associated Issues; GS2/Government Policies & Interventions

• Understanding sexual consent is important not only to learn about violation and abuse, but also to maintain healthy relationships.

Younger population & issue of Sexual Offence

• In India, every fifth person is between the ages of 10 and 19 & has the greatest proportion of adolescents in the world (approximately 253 million), according to UNICEF.
• According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), 51,863 cases were reported under The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act in 2021; of them, 33,348 or 64% were of sexual assault.
• The research has found that more than 90% of students think sex education in school curriculum is important. 60% also stated that they had exposure to sex education in school. 
• However, only 45% said that they had received appropriate sex education.
• Several State governments and certain sections of society in India have adopted an ostrich-like approach to comprehensive sexuality education. 
• The governments that it sexualises children, they have either watered down the existing programmes or withdrawn them on the grounds that they violate “Indian values”. 
• Traditional values are often shaped by patriarchal and hierarchical social structures. Mass media often propagates such values. 
• All this negatively affects young adults of all genders.
• Teachers reported that they lacked the knowledge to talk about diverse topics with the existing programmes.
• The victims of poor sexual awareness are primarily women. It is women who suffer most because of social taboo, menstrual issues, or unwarranted pregnancies.
• Women also have lower awareness and knowledge around contraception, sex, pregnancy, and reproductive health. 
• They also had little control over their sexual lives and decision making. 

Significance of sex education:

• The UN global guidance recommends starting comprehensive sexuality education from the age of five along with formal education. 
• This means that young children will be taught about their bodies, emotions, the basic principles of consent, and how to deal with violence, bullying or abuse. 
• According to the World Health Organization (WHO), with comprehensive sexuality education, young people will be better informed of their rights and sexuality, and will be more likely to engage in sexual activity later. 
• Studies have shown that sexually aware students are most likely to say no to unprotected sex. 
• Through sex education, teenagers can be taught the positive and negative sides of sex. They can learn about sexually transmitted disease, teenage unintended pregnancy, and emotional effects of sex.
• The ramifications of a comprehensive sexuality education are far-reaching, especially in the matter of intimate partner violence.
• When women are educated and aware of sexual wellness, they make better reproductive decisions. This means lesser teenage pregnancies, child mortality, or sexually transmitted infections. 

Suggestions

• An effective approach would be comprehensive sexuality education, which, according to the United Nations (UN), is a curriculum-based process of teaching and learning about the cognitive, emotional, physical and social aspects of sexuality .
• In India, the responsibility of sexuality education is vested with the State governments. 
• Each State has the freedom to develop creative curriculums within the framework suggested by the UNFPA. 
• NCRB data show that it is necessary for schools to impart comprehensive sexuality education not only to children, but also to parents and caregivers.
• The UNESCO 2021 Global Status Report on ‘the journey towards comprehensive sexuality education’ says that capacity-building of teachers is critical as the curriculum requires non-intuitive participatory pedagogies. 
• The sex education advice for parents is that they educate themselves first. They should also let go of their inhibitions and reservations.
• While the concept of sexual consent is evolving through criminal jurisprudence, the term itself may have been borrowed from English or other Western languages. 
• With the non-English language speaking population becoming substantial, an explicit creation of vocabulary in regional languages to discuss the concept of sexual consent and its nuances is urgently required.
• In the context of POCSO cases, the Madras, Delhi, and Meghalaya High Courts along with the Chief Justice of India have highlighted the frequent criminalisation of consensual adolescent relationships and have asked the government to consider reducing the age of consent. 
• UNESCO has highlighted a government-NGO case study from Jharkhand , where a school-based programme, Udaan, which began as an Adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health programme led by the State AIDS Control was Society, got mainstreamed into the Education Department, as a model of commitment to scale up comprehensive sexuality education .
• With the relationship between sexual health and human rights being complex, non-linear and interrelated, it is hoped that the curriculum is holistic and not simply related to legalities.

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LGBTQIA+ inschool curriculum

Bhumika shrestha.

Imagine living in a world where you do not know what sex is. Now, imagine going to school and not being able to educate yourself about LGBTQIA+. A school should be a place where every student feels at home – a home that gives the right to express about every trivial thing, regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation.

In 2022, the Curriculum Development Centre (CDC)of Nepal included contents about sexual orientation, gender identity and definition about the terms LGBTI in its Grade 7 textbook. However, the textbooks still lack in-depth content relating to sexual orientation and gender identity.

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Nepal has given rights about LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual) rights in the constitution. But these rights must be translated into concrete policies, programmes and practices within the education system to promote equal treatment and non-discrimination.

The impact of textbooks on a child's development is immense. Gender, being a socially constructed phenomenon, assigns roles and responsibilities that children begin to internalise at an early age. During their primary school years, children are especially receptive to learning about their social environment, making it vital to introduce concepts of gender diversity and LGBTQIA+ identities in their education. A major gap in the curriculum and textbooks is the lack of in-depth content on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Schools play a pivotal role in this transformation by providing students with accurate and comprehensive knowledge about sexual orientation and gender identity. One of the Health teachers interviewed in a school at Kirtipur, said, "If the curriculum itself has not covered the depth of LGBTQIA+, how are teachers and students supposed to go beyond the syllabus?"

Nepal is the second country in Asia, after Mongolia, to include Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) and the contents of Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE) in the school curriculum. Due to the hesitation of many teachers and students, most of the topics in the curriculum are not taught in class, therefore, young people lack the necessary information and skill on SRHR (Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights) when they actually need them. Also, the contents are not comprehensive and show notable gaps at the primary school level.

To create a school as a home to every student, a real inclusive education system is required. There is a need for revision of the curriculum and textbooks incorporating the sexual and gender minority perspective that creates an enabling learning environment promoting non-discrimination and de-stigmatisation of sexual and gender minorities.

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Over 5k children begin tobacco use daily, ministries push anti-tobacco measures

The union education and health ministries have issued an advisory for strict implementation of the tobacco-free educational institution manual to combat tobacco use among children and adolescents in schools..

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• Ministries issue joint advisory on tobacco-free schools
• Over 5,500 children start using tobacco daily in India
• ToFEI manual provides steps for schools to combat tobacco use

The Union education and health ministries have issued a joint advisory to all states and union territories in an effort to tackle the growing issue of tobacco use among young people.

The advisory calls for the strict implementation of the Tobacco-Free Educational Institution (ToFEI) manual, a key document designed to protect students from the dangers of tobacco.

It highlights the disturbing statistics from the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) 2019, which revealed that 8.5% of school students aged 13 to 15 in India consume tobacco in various forms . Even more concerning, over 5,500 children in the country begin using tobacco every day.

WHAT THE ToFEI MANUAL OFFERS

The Tobacco-Free Educational Institution manual is a vital resource that empowers schools to implement anti-tobacco measures effectively.

It provides detailed steps and strategies for institutions to create a tobacco-free environment, ensuring that students understand the harmful effects of smoking and tobacco use.

“The advisory emphasises the need for collaborative efforts of all stakeholders to safeguard young people from the dangers of tobacco addiction,” the official statement said. This collaboration is aimed at raising awareness and promoting anti-tobacco measures in schools.

As part of the National Tobacco Control Programme, the ToFEI guidelines were released by the health ministry to safeguard minors and prevent them from falling prey to tobacco and electronic cigarette use.

The manual, developed by the Department of School Education and Literacy in collaboration with the Socio-Economic and Educational Development Society, was officially launched on World No Tobacco Day, May 31, 2024.

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New York City students tackle India's educational inequality by helping build high school

UPPER WEST SIDE, Manhattan (WABC) -- From an apartment on the Upper West Side, New York City high school students are focused on helping kids more than 12,000 miles away in western India.

"We felt like because we had the opportunity, so many opportunities going to Fieldston and living in New York, we were able to do something to help those kids," said Ishaan Akileswar, co-founder of The Sher Organization.

They're helping out hundreds of students from seven different villages in the Satara region of the country.

There is a lower and middle school, but after that, the kids face uncertain futures because there is no high school.

"Without it, these kids can't go to college, can't go to any jobs besides what's in their village, so they are really stuck in this cycle of poverty, which they were born into," said Dhruv Kapoor, co-founder of The Sher Organization.

That didn't sit right with Akileswar and Kapoor, who both grew up spending a lot of time with relatives in India.

"Around beginning of middle school and 5th grade, I started being more observant of the people around me, not just in the home I was in at the time," Akileswar said. "Seeing kids in the streets begging, seeing people in broken homes."

So, they decided to do something. They created The Sher Organization, a non-profit dedicated to combatting educational inequality in India.

Their first order of business was to raise roughly $400,000 to build a high school.

They knew they needed help on the ground and so while in India, Kapoor rolled the dice and reached out to the Akhil Maharashtra Education Society.

"We were able to set up a meeting in a local coffee shop, we met with them, talked with them just completely blindly and eventually got to the point, ok come to our school," Kapoor said.

Kapoor was welcomed with open arms.

Sher is now working with the organization.

"Just this one building itself will be able to run itself for so many years, there can be so many more children moving out, which can help boost that area completely and change everyone's lives," Kapoor said.

Sher now has members in other cities and is looking to form many more partnerships.

"Our goals are definitely super high and we're not going to be happy until we've met the high goals," Akileswar said.

You can learn more about The Sher Organization at their website .

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Youth in India Ready for Sex Education? Emerging Evidence from National Surveys

Niharika tripathi.

1 International Institute for Population Sciences, Deonar, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

T. V. Sekher

2 Department of Population Policies and Programmes, International Institute for Population Sciences, Deonar, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Conceived and designed the experiments: NT TVS. Performed the experiments: NT TVS. Analyzed the data: NT. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: NT TVS. Wrote the paper: NT TVS.

Sex education/family life education (FLE) has been one of the highly controversial issues in Indian society. Due to increasing incidences of HIV/AIDS, RTIs/STIs and teenage pregnancies, there is a rising need to impart sex education. However, introducing sex education at school level always received mixed response from various segments of Indian society.

Data and Methods

We attempt to understand the expectations and experiences of youth regarding family life education in India by analysing the data from District Level Household and Facility Survey (DLHS-3: 2007–08) and Youth Study in India (2006–07). We used descriptive methods to analyse the extent of access to FLE and socio demographic patterning among Indian youth.

Results and Discussions

We found substantial gap between the proportion of youth who perceived sex education to be important and those who actually received it, revealing considerable unmet need for FLE. Youth who received FLE were relatively more aware about reproductive health issues than their counterparts. Majority among Indian youth, irrespective of their age and sex, favoured introduction of FLE at school level, preferably from standard 8 th onwards. The challenge now is to develop a culturally-sensitive FLE curriculum acceptable to all sections of society.

Introduction

Sex is a very sensitive subject and public discussion on sexual matters is considered as a taboo in Indian society. Given this context, introducing sex education at school level always attracted objections and apprehensions from many quarters. Family life education (FLE) or Sex education refers to a broad programme designed to impart knowledge/training regarding values, attitudes and practices affecting family relationships [1] , [2] , [3] , [4] , [5] , [6] . It aims to develop the qualities and attitudes on which successful family life depends. The real purpose behind family life/sex education is the transfiguration of a male child into manhood and of a female child into womanhood. The education that provides knowledge on physical, social, moral, behavioural, and psychological changes and developments during puberty is termed as Adolescent Family Life Education. It teaches the adolescents about the role of boys and girls in family and society, responsibility and attitude of boys and girls towards each other, etc. within social context. Many psychologists believe that sex education begins at an early age and continues throughout the life of an individual. The purpose of sex education should be to facilitate the best possible integration between the physical, emotional and mental aspects of the personality, and the best possible assimilation between the individuals and the groups. Sex education also instils the essential information about conception, contraception and sexually transmitted diseases. It is a continuous process of developing attitudes, values and understanding regarding all situations and relationships in which people play roles as males or females [7] .

The major objectives of Family Life/Sex Education (FLE) can be broadly described as follows: 1) To develop emotionally stable children and adolescents who feel sufficiently secure and adequate to make decisions regarding their conduct without being carried away by their emotions. 2) To provide sound knowledge not only of the physical aspects of sex behaviour but also its psychological and sociological aspects, so that sexual experience will be viewed as a part of the total personality of the individual. 3)To develop attitudes and standards of conduct which will ensure that young people and adults will determine their sexual and other behaviour by considering its long range effects on their own personal development, the good of other individuals, and welfare of society as a whole [7] .

More than biological specifics, sex education should also include social and moral behaviour, proper attitudes and values towards sex, love, family life and interpersonal relations in the society. Due to growing incidences of HIV/AIDS, RTIs/STIs and teenage pregnancies, there is a need to impart sex education among youth. The problem of over-population also demands family life education, including family planning as a priority, as many of the young people are about to be married and should be aware of the responsibilities they have. A study on child abuse in India, conducted by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, reports that 53 percent of boys and 47 percent of girls surveyed faced some form of sexual abuse [8] . Therefore, family life education might help the vulnerable young population to be aware about their sexual rights and empower them to protect themselves from any undesired act of violence, sexual abuse and molestation. India’s National Population Policy also reiterates the need for educating adolescents about the risks of unprotected sex [9] . Furthermore, the provision of family life education might result into multiple benefits to the adolescent boys and girls. This might include delayed initiation of sexual activity, reduction in unplanned and early pregnancies and their associated complications, fewer unwanted children, reduced risks of sexual abuse, greater completion of education and later marriages, reduced recourse to abortion and the consequences of unsafe abortion, curb the spread of sexually transmitted diseases including HIV [10] .

Adolescence (10–19 years) is an age of opportunity for children marked with a time of transition from childhood to adulthood; wherein young people experience substantial changes in their physiology after puberty, but do not instantaneously imbibe the various associated roles, privileges and responsibilities of adulthood. This crucial period in the lives of young people presents prospect to promote their development and equip them with appropriate knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and skills (KABS) to help them successfully navigate through various nuisance and vulnerabilities of life, and realize the full development potential [11] .

Current statistics indicate that almost one in every fifth person on the globe is an adolescent, as they comprise 18 percent (1.2 billion) of world’s population in 2009, with 88 percent living in developing countries, particularly in the South Asia, the East Asia and the Pacific region [11] . India has the largest adolescent population (243 million), followed by China (207 million), United States of America (44 million), Indonesia and Pakistan (41 million each). Interestingly, more than 50 percent of the adolescent population lives in urban areas, which is expected to further reach 70 percent mark by 2050, with the largest increase likely to occur in the developing world. This entire scenario indicate the considerable demographic and socioeconomic challenges, particularly for the developing countries like India, in terms of meeting the specific needs for improving the survival and general health conditions, nutritional status, and sexual and reproductive health of the adolescents.

Recent literature on adolescents have documented that irrespective of being relatively healthy period of life, adolescents often engage in the range of risky and adventurous behaviours that might influence their quality of health and probability of survival in both short and long term over the life course [12] . These includes early pregnancy, unsafe abortions, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV, and sexual abuse and violence. Pregnancy related problems comprise a leading cause of death among adolescents aged 15–19 years, mainly due to unsafe abortions and pregnancy complications [13] . However, the sexual and reproductive health needs of adolescents and youth are poorly understood and grossly underappreciated owing to limitation of scientific evidence compounded with the unpreparedness of public health system, which may jeopardize the initiatives to advance the health and well-being of adolescents.

Adolescents and youth in India experience several negative sexual and reproductive health outcomes such as early and closely spaced pregnancy, unsafe abortions, STI, HIV/AIDS, and sexual violence at alarming scale. One in every five woman aged 15–19 years experience childbearing before 17 years of age that are often closely spaced; risk of maternal mortality among adolescent mothers was twice as high as compared to mothers aged 25–39 years [14] , [15] . Importantly, adolescents and youth comprise 31 percent of AIDS burden in India [16] . Furthermore, multiple socioeconomic deprivations further increase the magnitude of health problems for adolescents. This limits their opportunity to learn and access the appropriate health care services.

This inadvertent scenario calls for a serious and comprehensive public health initiative to provide Indian adolescents and youth with accurate and age-appropriate essential information and skills for a responsible lifestyle, that might help in reduction of risky sexual behaviour, early pregnancy, HIV/AIDS and STI, etc. Recently, recognizing the need of the time, Government of India has experimented with the provision of Adolescent Education Programme (AEP) to lay the foundation for a responsible lifestyle, including healthy relationships and safe sex habits among adolescents and youth. However, this initiative attracted mixed reactions from different sections of the Indian society. There is scanty scientific literature which throws light on the level of knowledge, perceptions and viewpoints on issues related to family life education among Indian adolescents and youth. Are adolescents and youth in India really prepared to understand and benefit from this new experiment? Hence there is a need for studies that scrutinize and critically evaluate the knowledge, attitude, perceptions, skills and experiences of family life education among Indian adolescents.

Controversy Over Introducing Sex Education in Schools

With the view to generate awareness and inculcate necessary skills among adolescents and youth, a scheme for adolescent education programme in the school curriculum was promoted by the National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) and the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Government of India, which led to a major controversy in 2007. The ardent opponents argued for a ban on starting sex education in schools on the ground that it corrupts the youth and offends ‘Indian values’ [17] , [18] . They contended that it may lead to promiscuity, experimentation and irresponsible sexual behaviour [19] . The critics also suggested that sex education may be indispensable in western countries, but not in India which has a rich cultural traditions and ethos. On the contrary, the proponents argued that conservative ideas have little place in a fast modernizing society like India, where attitudes towards sex education are changing rapidly. As fallout of this controversy, several Indian states including Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Goa declared that the course content as suggested by MHRD was unacceptable and thus banned the programme [1] .

At the same time, attempt towards the introduction of sex education at school level in India met with opposition from the fundamentalists arguing that it may degrade the tender minds and destroy the rich family systems in India. Furthermore, some teachers and principals were threatened that, “if you don’t stop sex education, neither will you remain in the jobs, nor will your schools survive”. However, the other side of the coin ( pro for sex education ) reflects supportive campaign towards introduction of sex education that may help to reserve the rich heritage and culture of India. Adolescents should be scientifically educated about the facts and myths related to sexual activities that may lead to number of health related risks. Being vulnerable to various changes associated with physical, emotional and psychological transitions, adolescents/youth must have proper knowledge of sex education that may empower them into healthy, productive and responsible adults [20] .

Though few politicians and religious leaders have opposed the introduction of sex education in schools, studies have shown that Indian adolescents and youth do not have sufficient information about sexual matters, thereby increasing the possibility of falling prey to various forms of sexual violence. TARSHI (Talking about Reproductive and Sexual Health Issues), a non-governmental organization running a helpline on sexual information, received over 59,000 calls from men, seeking information on sexual anatomy and physiology [1] . An analysis of this data showed that, 70 percent of the callers were below 30 years of age, while 33 percent were in the age group of 15 to 24 years, which indicates that young people do have the need, but lack adequate authentic source to receive appropriate and correct information in a positive manner. The WHO report (2003) on family life, reproductive health and population education documented that promotion of family life/sex education has resulted in delayed age of entering into sexual relationship, reduced number of partners, increased use of safer sex and contraception, and other positive behaviour [10] . It was further noted that sex education in schools did not encourage young people to have sex at earlier age; rather it delays the start of sexual activity and encourages young people to have safer sex. However, both the critiques and proponents of introducing family life/sex education in Indian schools propagate the analogous ideology of ‘sexual restraint’ i.e., delaying the initiation of sexual activity among adolescents before marriage, which may also help to curtail the menace of HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases and restrict the pace of population growth [21] .

India has become the second largest hub of HIV/AIDS pandemic in the world. The proponents of sex education stressed the need for providing knowledge about HIV/AIDS, teenage pregnancies and information about sexual health. In a survey of college students conducted by the All India Educational and Vocational Guidance Association, it was reported that 54 percent of males and 42 percent of females did not have adequate knowledge regarding matters of sex [7] . About 30 percent of males and upto 10 percent of females are sexually active during adolescence before marriage, though social attitudes clearly favour cultural norms of premarital chastity [14] .

We need to accept the fact that we are living in a complex world leading complicated lives. Preventing access to pornographic movies or erratic contents on television shows is not prudent, but adding a single chapter to the school curriculum is relatively simple and practical [22] . Mass media being highly influential has been part of both solution and of the problem in the area of sex and youth. It has been part of the solution because it has helped to bring sexual topics into discussions. Radio and television has been the medium in opening doors to the deliberations of several topics which were previously considered as taboo. A survey conducted in Mumbai found that 88 per cent of the boys and 58 per cent of the girls among college students had received no sex education from parents and their source of information were books, magazines, and youth counsellors [7] . Internet is the greatest culprit which makes pornography easily accessible in recent times. Studies have shown that vast majority of parents do not accept the responsibility for providing sex education to their sons or daughters [23] . However, another study states that 68 percent of the parents believe that they should be the primary sex educators of their children, followed by schools [24] .The apparent stigma attached to any discussion on sex in India is due to the fact that people tend to view sex education in a narrow sense, that is, the mere explanation of anatomical and biological differences. Ideally home is the best place for sex education and the attitudes of parents are of vital importance. When a child feels the subject as forbidden, he/she feels more curious to know about it which can lead to misleading information, if parents feel embarrassed in talking about sex with their children.

Available Evidences

The recent emerging scientific evidence across globe documents substantial confirmatory positive influence of sex education towards promoting overall health and well-being of adolescent and youth. A recent study from Nigeria presents paramount significance of providing sexual education to youth that helped them to develop critical thinking and insights on range of family life/sexual issues like premarital sex and pregnancy, abortion, teacher-student relationships and lesbianism [25] . Another study in Indonesia suggests the mixed viewpoint on the pros and cons of sex education among youth [26] . Proper information about sexuality should be provided to youth to help them grow healthy and responsible. A study conducted in Venezuela highlighted the importance of imparting sex education to youth, as it helped to prevent adolescent pregnancy, abortion, HIV/AIDS and sexual abuse [27] . A study in India revealed that majority of school teachers was in favour of imparting sex education to school children [28] . Fourteen years of age was considered to be the most appropriate for imparting sex education by 28.6 percent of school teachers. School teachers and doctors were considered to be the most appropriate persons for providing sex education. Another study from India attempted to assess the impact of sex education on the students noted that doctors were the first choice to impart sex education followed by school teachers; the preferred mean age to start sex education was 15–16 years [29] . A study conducted in seven private co-educational schools to understand the adolescent attitudes towards issues of sex and sexuality in India showed wide lacuna in the knowledge on sex and sexuality matters among adolescents [30] .

Majority of mothers believed that discouraging pre-marital intercourse should be the most important objective of sex education, and those who felt that their own sex education was inadequate were in support of providing sex education for their children [31] . Parents should provide sex education to their children in a friendly and informal atmosphere so that children may get rid of the idea that sex is dirty and be aware of their responsibilities [32] .

A survey conducted in Hyderabad and Secunderabad cities of India found that the major sources of information on sexual matters among adolescents were books and films, followed by friends [33] . An important observation emerging from this study is that, in spite of exposure towards sex education, many adolescents did not have the correct knowledge regarding reproduction process. This further raises serious questions regarding the content, technique and format of the sex education being imparted in certain institutions which failed to have a desired impact on adolescents/youth. Family life education for boys and girls at the adolescent stage should be constructive enough so as to contribute to healthier emotional growth and it must prepare them to enter into a responsible adulthood [34] . Adolescent boys and girls need sound and correct knowledge about sexual matters. In general, the knowledge among boys regarding sexual issues is more than that of girls may be because boys try to satisfy their curiosity more readily [23] . It was also found that educated parents help their children to clarify their doubts and anxieties about sexual matters in a more realistic way. The findings of National Family Health Survey show that majority of men and women in India favour family life education [35] . More than two-thirds of adults approve of teaching school children about physical changes in their bodies that come with puberty, although there is somewhat less approval of children learning about puberty in the opposite sex.

According to the Youth Study in India [36] , 83 percent of young men and 81 percent of young women (aged 15–24 years) felt the need to impart family life education. However, there exists a substantial rural-urban differential in reporting of the need for family life/sex education. Those who received the family life education consisted of only 23 percent of unmarried women and 17 percent of unmarried men.

Youth Ready for Sex Education?

Though few micro-level studies have been conducted in India to examine the knowledge, attitude and perceptions of adolescents toward family life education, yet there exists huge gap in appropriate understanding regarding various issues of family life/sex education and its effective implementation. Since there are supporters and opponents towards introducing sex education in Indian schools, it is most important to understand the perception and attitudes of youth on this controversial issue. This study is an attempt in the same direction using evidence from two nationally representative sample surveys to analyse the perceptions and experiences of family life education among young women in India. These large-scale household surveys [36] , [37] conducted across India and various parts thereof, provide a unique opportunity for the first time to gauge the attitudes of younger generation. In this study, the terms sex education/family life education/adolescent life education were interchangeably used.

The present study broadly attempts to gauge the views, perceptions, aspirations and experiences of adolescents and youth regarding family life education. The specific objectives are as follows:

• To study the perception regarding family life education (FLE) among adolescents and youth.
• To examine the experiences of youth who received family life education.
• To evaluate the awareness on reproductive health (RH) issues among youth and the impact of FLE on their awareness.

Ethics Statement

The study was based on an anonymous public use data set with no identifiable information on the survey participants; therefore no ethics statement is required for this work.

The data for the present analysis comes from two major household surveys in India. The District Level Household and Facility Survey (DLHS-3) [37] in 2007–08 is perhaps the largest ever demographic and health survey carried out in India with a sample size 7,20,320 households covering 601 districts of the country. The perception and knowledge about family life education, family planning, RTI/STI, HIV/AIDS and reproductive health issues were collected in this survey. About 1,60,550 unmarried women were interviewed in DLHS-3, using a structured interview schedule.

The second survey is the “Youth in India: Situation and Needs” conducted in 2006–07 in six Indian states [36] . The main objective of this survey is to gather evidence on key transitions experienced by youth as well as their awareness, attitudes and life choices. The study was conducted in the following selected Indian states: Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu. In all, 50,848 married and unmarried young women and men were successfully interviewed, from 1,74,037 sample households. Unmarried men and women as well as married women (15–24 years) were interviewed, whereas the age group for married men was extended to 15–29 years, in the first ever landmark survey on youth in India.

Literature suggests that the attitudes and behaviour of youth are usually influenced by socio-economic, cultural and demographic characteristics. The pertinent socio-economic and demographic characteristics considered in this study includes age groups (15–19 and 20–24 years), type of residence (rural and urban), religion (Hindu, Muslim, Christian and others), caste (Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, Other Backward Classes and others), education (non-literate, 1–5 years of schooling, 6–9 years and 10 years or above), economic status of the household as presented by wealth index and employment status (not working, agriculture, manual, non-manual). Awareness about contraceptives has been computed based on modern methods (sterilization, pills, condom, IUD, etc.) and traditional methods (rhythm, withdrawal, abstinence, etc.).

Table 1 presents the composite picture concerning the perceived importance of family life education (FLE) and the perception regarding at what age and standard it should be introduced in India. Nearly four-fifths of unmarried women (15–24 years of age) perceived that FLE is important. DLHS-3 asked women about their opinion regarding- at what age and at what level in school does the FLE should be introduced? Majority of women reported that FLE should be provided in the age group 15–17 years (38 percent) and initiated from the 8 th to 10 th standards (55 percent). The information regarding major sources of FLE among unmarried women who perceived FLE to be important was also collected. Majority of the respondents reported that the main source for providing FLE should be parents (81 percent), followed by teacher/school/college (55 percent), sibling/sister-in-law (50 percent), and friends/peers (30 percent) respectively. On the other hand, health care provider/experts (10 percent), husband/partner (4 percent), youth club/NGO worker (3 percent) were respectively chosen as other preferred sources of information on FLE among unmarried women in India.

Table 2 indicates the proportion of women who actually received FLE and their experiences regarding the same. Around 50 percent of women actually received FLE, overwhelming majority from schools or colleges. The other sources were NGO programmes, youth clubs, government programmes, etc. Among the women who received FLE, majority reported that the teacher/trainee explained it in a way that can be understood and FLE answered/clarified many of their questions. It is important to note that, around 40 percent of women felt embarrassed while attending family life/sex education classes.

Table 3 presents the percentage of unmarried women 15–24 years who perceived FLE to be important, and those who actually received FLE by selected demographic and socioeconomic characteristics in India. The prevalence of perceived importance of FLE was relatively high among the youth (81 percent) in India. However, only 49 percent of women actually received FLE. The relatively mature unmarried women (20–24 years) residing in urban areas with more than ten years of education, engaged in non-manual occupation, and coming from better-off families had higher prevalence of perceived importance of FLE as well as that of receiving FLE than others. In general, the perceived importance of FLE among youth in India is relatively high with strong demographic and socioeconomic differentials. The actual experience of FLE among youth is extremely limited.

The knowledge and awareness on reproductive health issues among unmarried women were also collected in the DLHS-3. On an average, the women who received FLE had much better awareness on various reproductive health issues like RTI/STI, possibility of finding out the sex of a baby before birth, and knowledge about reducing chances of infecting HIV as compared with women who did not receive any FLE ( Table 4 ). In general, women who received the FLE were relatively more aware about methods of contraception as compared to their counterparts. For instance, among women who received FLE, nearly 98 and 27 percent of women were aware about any modern and traditional methods of contraception respectively. On the other hand, this figure declines to 89 and 12 percent respectively among women who do not receive FLE.

Table 5 illustrates the young people's opinion on family life/sex education across men and women, and married and unmarried. Around 83 percent of young men and 78 percent of young women felt that it is important to impart family life/sex education to youth. Slightly large proportion of unmarried youth (84 percent of men and 81 percent of women) as compared to married youth (79 percent of men and 75 percent of women) reported family life/sex education to be important. Majority of young men and women observed that family life/sex education should be provided to adolescents in the age group 15–17 years. Regarding the perception of youth about the best person to impart family life/sex education, the preferences differed among men and women. Majority of young men reported that the best person to provide FLE should be teacher, whereas most young women suggested that parents are ideal persons to provide such education. Around 21 percent of young men and 11 percent of young women reported that the main source of providing family life/sex education can be friends.

Table 6 indicates that, nearly 15 percent of young men and 14 percent of young women received family life/sex education. Majority received FLE through schools/colleges. Among those who received formal family life/sex education, majority felt that FLE answered many of their anxieties/queries and the teacher/trainee explained the subject well. Twenty one percent of men and 37 percent of women also reported that they felt embarrassed while attending family life/sex education. This, in a way suggests that the curriculum and the method of teaching should be context-specific and culturally sensitive.

Discussion and Conclusion

The present study attempt to unravel the divergent views, perceptions and aspirations of adolescents and youth regarding family life education, its perceived importance, and the potential effects of family life education on array of reproductive health issues by using nationally representative household sample surveys in India. Young people (10–24 years) constitute about 315 million and represented about 31% of India’s population. They not only represent India’s future in the socio-economic and political realms, but nation’s ability to harness the demographic dividend. In the course of transition to adulthood, young people face significant risks related to sexual and reproductive health. Adolescent life education program intend to ensure the rights of the large section of adolescents/youth, and to develop them as healthy and responsible members of the family and society. Adolescents in all societies learn their responsibilities towards family by observing and following the behaviour of others. Due to rapid social changes occurring all over the world, the young generation is facing an enormous challenge in coping with the consequences of attrition in the traditional family system, social life, and values. Under this volatile environment, the family life education can help the adolescents to experience successful transition from childhood to adulthood.

One of the most significant findings of the study indicates that majority of youth perceived family life education to be important. This highlights that Indian adolescents realizes the range of potential health risks and challenges lurking before them and demands the appropriate knowledge, skills and training to lead a responsible and healthy life style. However, the study points out that only half of the unmarried women actually received any form of family life education. This critical mismatch between the potential demand for FLE and apparent lack of facility might lead to a brigade of untrained, ill-equipped and unmanageable group of risky young population who might indulge into unhealthy life style practices. Another finding that needs special attention relates to the appropriate age and standard at which the FLE should be initiated. The findings based on the opinions of unmarried women 15–24 years suggest that the FLE should be started at the age of 15 to 17 years and during 8 th to 10 th standard in schools.

One of the crucial issues that deem attention relates to the major sources of FLE. The study indicates that majority of unmarried women, who perceived FLE to be important, reported that parents to be the provider of FLE, followed by teacher/school/college, brother/sister/sister-in-law and friends/peer respectively. Therefore, it becomes apparent that FLE need not be only part of formal school curriculum; it should also be equally augmented in the first place by parents at home to eliminate all the misconceptions, inhibitions and doubts of adolescents on various aspects of family/sex life. The study also indicates that relatives and friends/peers could also be important avenues that need to be appropriately tapped to help the adolescents learn about the basic issues/rules of family/sex life skills safely and comfortably either at home, school or neighbourhood.

Addressing the discourse on the implementation of FLE in school curriculum in India, several scholars, administrators, and politicians have mooted the adverse impact of FLE and how it may denigrate the ‘rich Indian cultural values’ and ethos. However, our findings effectively nullifies all these apprehensions and convincingly illustrates that, among youth who received FLE, the awareness about various reproductive health issues and knowledge of contraceptive methods was far better and comprehensive compared to their counterparts who had no FLE. This further goes on to show that provision of FLE will benefit not only the adolescents, but many more generations to come by avoiding the menace of RTI/STI, unwanted pregnancies, HIV/AIDS, etc.

In the era of globalization and modernization, there still persist steep socioeconomic divide in the knowledge, attitudes and perception of individuals in Indian society. The same holds true with regard to benefits of FLE. Whether it relates to the perceived importance of FLE, or actual prevalence of FLE among unmarried women in India, we found substantial differentials across socio-economic groups. This indicates that even after more than six decades of planned development efforts in India, large proportion of population living in rural areas, illiterate, marginalized social groups, continue to lag behind when it comes to the adoption of modern attitudes and healthy sexual behaviour. Hence, it is crucial for policy makers and program managers to take note of these socioeconomic hierarchies in Indian society, while designing and implementing any FLE program.

However, most political and religious leaders in India are unfortunately not in favour of sex education at school level. The Rajya Sabha of Indian Parliament constituted a committee to examine the implementation of the Adolescent Education Programme (AEP). The committee categorically opined against the implementation of sex education at school level, and felt that AEP may cause irreparable damage to the future of India by polluting the young and tender minds, and could invariably promote promiscuity. The report also took serious objections on the study materials and kits prepared for the implementation of the AEP in Indian schools. The report while denouncing the case for the implementation of any AEP at school level emphasized the need for appropriately passing on the message of no sex before marriage among adolescents and declaring it as immoral, unethical and unhealthy. In addition, students should be made aware of marriageable age which is 21 years in case of boys and 18 years in case of girls and any indulgence in sex outside the institution of marriage was against the social ethos [38] .

Finally, we summarize the key issues that emerge from this study. There exists a wide gap between the proportion of women who perceive FLE is important and those who actually received any sex education. It was also true that women who received family life education had better knowledge and awareness on reproductive health issues than counterparts. The level of awareness and knowledge regarding Family Life Education is more among the educated, better-off sections and those living in urban areas. The growing population, changing life styles and increasing incidences of HIV/AIDS is a great challenge. In order to prepare the youth to face these challenges, introducing sex education is an important step. The nation-wide surveys clearly illustrate that overwhelming majority of young women and men are in favour of introducing family life education. The government and civil society should initiate a national debate to arrive at a consensus on this issue among various sections of the society. The study strongly argues the necessity to formulate appropriate policy regarding family life education so as to address the unmet need for scientific learning/training on matters of family/sexual life among adolescent/youth. Imparting sex education in an appropriate and culturally-sensitive manner at school level should be a national priority.

Funding Statement

The authors have no support or funding to report.

Education | ‘Emphasize abstinence’ in sex ed, Florida…

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Education | ‘Emphasize abstinence’ in sex ed, Florida tells schools, skip lessons on contraception

Orange and broward schools have decided to abandon efforts to teach their own, more extensive sex education curriculum.

As a result, Orange County Public Schools plans to scrap its own high school sex education plans and instead use a state-approved textbook that focuses on abstinence. The district’s now-abandoned plans, outlined in a nearly 600-page document it provided to the Orlando Sentinel, stress abstinence for teenagers but also provide information on how pregnancy occurs, the pros and cons of various birth control methods, what consent means and ways to handle pressure to be sexually active.

Broward County Public Schools has until early October to tell the state how it plans to teach about reproductive health during the 2024-25 school year but knows the Florida Department of Education thinks some of the lessons it had planned to teach “are not age or developmentally appropriate.”

Broward schools now plan to comply with state requirements and “emphasize abstinence” in their lessons, the district said in an emailed statement Friday.

Karen Castor Dentel, a member of the Orange County School Board, said the state’s instructions mean students will glean information from their phones and their friends rather than reputable sources.

“I think it’s utterly ridiculous and is a continuation with the state’s obsession with sex and denying our students fact-based information about their bodies, how they work,” Castor Dentel said. “I think it’s a disservice to this generation, but it’s consistent with what is coming out of Tallahassee these days.”

The recent directives from the state came in phone calls from education department officials a year after school districts submitted their sex education lessons plans for approval, per a new state law. Last September, the education department told school districts they had to send in their reproductive health plans for review or use state-approved textbooks for those lessons.

Previously, local school boards oversaw the approval of their districts’ sex education materials.

But as the Sentinel reported in July , the state did not respond to the plans a number of districts submitted as an alternative to the state-approved curriculum. So for the 2023-24 school year OCPS and some other districts canceled the sex education lessons typically taught in the spring.

Now, with the 2024-25 school year underway, they’ve been told their plans do not meet state approval.

Castor Dentel, a former OCPS teacher, noted that sex education lessons — which in Orange started in fifth grade — are voluntary, and parents can opt their children out if they do not like the topics covered. In her six years on the school board, those lessons have never been an issue.

“No one has ever complained about their kid learning about reproductive health,” she added.

The state education department did not respond to a request for comment Friday nor to email requests sent over the summer when the Sentinel asked why districts reproductive health plans had not been approved.

Florida law requires schools to teach reproductive health lessons in grades 6 to 12 that emphasize the “benefits of sexual abstinence as the expected standard and the consequences of teenage pregnancy.”

But in the past, districts have been able to offer additional instruction. Orange schools, for example, started their lessons in fifth grade with a class on the physical changes of puberty and for high schoolers provided conversations about contraception and sexually transmitted diseases, among other topics.

Orange school leaders declined to discuss in detail their interaction with the state about the sex education curriculum. State officials called Broward educators on Aug. 21 to outline their concerns with its planned lessons, according to a memo Broward educators put together about the call.

“Pictures of external sexual/reproductive anatomy should not be included in any grade level,” the memo said, characterizing the concerns expressed orally by the state. “Contraceptives are not part of any health or science standard” but could be mentioned as “health resource,” though “pictures, activities, or demonstrations that illustrate their use should not be included in instruction in any grade level,” it said.

“Different types of sex (i.e., anal, oral, and vaginal) cannot be part of instruction in any grade level,” state officials added in the call, according to the Broward memo. The high school lessons Orange schools submitted last year also mentioned different types of sex.

Elissa Barr, a professor of public health at the University of North Florida, said she has heard from health education educators in about a dozen Florida school districts who have been told by state officials to remove topics such as contraception from their curriculum plans and teach “abstinence only.”

That is a strategy, she said, that decades of research shows is not effective.

“We in Florida, we’re moving in the wrong direction,” Barr said. “We should be making data driven decisions, and we’re just not.”

Barr is part of the Florida Healthy Youth Alliance, a group that advocates for comprehensive sexual health education in schools. The group wants teenagers taught the benefits of abstinence — “We all want our kids to wait longer,” she said — but also how to protect themselves from sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancies should they become sexually active.

That sort of program, she said, is the most effective in convincing teens to delay sexual activity and avoid its problematic consequences.

As district officials contact her, Barr has been keeping a list of words and phrases they’ve been told to remove from their reproductive health plans. They include abuse, consent, domestic violence, fluids, gender identity and LGBTQ information, she said.

Axing the word “fluids” will make it hard to accurately teach how HIV is transmitted — a topic that is required by the state — since it is spread through blood, breast milk, semen and vaginal fluids, she said. “That’s science.”

All of the district officials Barr spoke with said they got phone calls, but no written communication, from the education department.

OCPS said it got “verbal feedback” from the department, with the state’s updated health education standards and new laws cited to explain why the district’s plans needed changes.

“The FDOE strongly recommended the district utilize the state adopted text,” the district said in an emailed statement.

A state-authorized textbook used in Lake County high school classes last year preaches abstinence as the only effective way to prevent STDs and pregnancy and does not mention contraception. It also encourages students to go on group dates rather than spend one-on-one time with a partner.

“Our curriculum will emphasize abstinence and provide comprehensive health education to help students make informed, healthy decisions,” Broward schools said in its statement. “While advisory groups have expressed concerns about changes to the curriculum, we will adhere to state law and FLDOE rules.”

Scott Travis of the South Florida Sun Sentinel contributed to this story.

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₹55,000/year: Can govt give this in cash to each student instead of spending $9 lakh crore on schools? Premium

Put together, governments in india spend ₹55,000 a year per student on their education but students don’t get value for the money. school vouchers may sound promising but do not solve supply side issues.

Updated - September 21, 2024 08:43 pm IST

A little over half of India’s school-going students attend government schools. In 2022-23, various ministries of the Centre and the States together spent nearly ₹11 lakh crore towards education, with about 80% of the funds used towards funding school education. Private spending on education, on the other hand, was a little over ₹7 lakh crore rupees during the same year.

Given that there are about 26 crore students attending schools in India and about 60% of these students go to government schools or to government-aided schools, governments in India spent over ₹55,000 on educating a child. Yet, it is a well-known fact that the quality of education offered in government schools is poor and below the standards set by private schools.

The major reason why government schools fail to educate their students properly is that there is often very little incentive for politicians and bureaucrats in charge of these schools to deliver quality education. People who run the government do not supervise government schools effectively or hold them accountable because doing so would not really benefit them personally.

Take the case of politicians. The issue of education quality in government schools doesn’t influence the behaviour of most voters, hence politicians have very little incentive to care much about the quality of education offered in government schools. Teachers’ unions can vote as a bloc and decide the electoral fate of a politician, particularly in a first-past-the-post electoral system where results are decided on narrow margins. So, it is no wonder that government school teachers are paid salaries that are far higher than what private school teachers are paid even though the quality of education they offer is lower.

Similarly, a government bureaucrat’s pay is not going to change much whether a government school under his or her supervision manages to boost children’s learning outcomes or not. The chances are high that a bureaucrat could be prosecuted for breaking the rules if a well-intended reform that he or she brings about to improve education quality in a government school fails to succeed. This generally prevents any risk-taking on the part of even well-meaning bureaucrats to improve the quality of education offered in government schools.

Further, parents who send their kids to government schools do so primarily because they can’t afford the high cost of education in the private sector. Since these parents do not directly pay government schools for their services and depend on the generosity of the government, they have very little voice in demanding better quality education in these schools. This is in contrast to parents who send their children to private schools by paying a certain fee, making private schools far more accountable to them. After all, a private school has a strong incentive to please parents as it stands to lose money if they move to a competing school.

School vouchers

To solve this problem, American economist and Nobel laureate Milton Friedman proposed the idea of school vouchers. A school voucher is a voucher from the government that parents can use to pay schools to which they send their kids. Schools, in turn, can reimburse these vouchers in exchange for a certain amount of cash from the government. Importantly, parents can choose to spend their vouchers on any school of their choice to which they wish to send their kids. This choice offered to parents by school vouchers can help parents have a stronger influence on the quality of education offered to their children as schools are quite likely to compete to impress parents who hold these vouchers.

It should, however, be noted that the most likely outcome of a school voucher program would be parents shifting their children from government schools to private schools, attracted by better quality education. This is already happening even without school vouchers as seen in the increasing proportion of the student population that goes to private schools. School vouchers may well accelerate this trend as parents who currently send their children to government schools purely for financial affordability reasons switch to private schools with the help of school vouchers.

Since government schools are funded by taxpayers and not by fees paid by parents, they are unlikely to do much to stem this outflow of students, unless there is political pressure in some form to address the issue. So the eventual outcome of the school voucher program is unlikely to be any radical improvement in teaching standards in government schools.

School vouchers may also not be a panacea to the deeper problems that plague India’s education sector. For one, education quality is far from ideal even in private schools. According to various studies, even students in private schools fail to achieve learning standards appropriate for their age.

One reason for the low quality of education across the board could be the various barriers that prevent the entry of new schools that can possibly offer better quality education. These entry barriers could often be in the form of corruption designed to protect the interests of large incumbent schools; in such a setup, only people with access to the corridors of power may be able to offer education on a large scale. This restricts the supply of schooling in the market, causing the price of education to be higher than it really has to be, which, in turn, keeps private education beyond the reach of the poor. It should also be noted that a significant fall in the cost of private education can make private education affordable to more families and make them less dependent on state assistance.

Further, various well-meaning regulations that are supposed to uphold the quality of education may actually end up raising the cost of doing business and impeding crucial innovation, both of which lower supply and thus increase the cost of education. The most common example of this is the onerous regulations on medical colleges that make medical education extremely expensive. Similar input-based licensing requirements can also be found at the school level.

Not a panacea

School vouchers obviously can’t address these major supply-side issues that largely explain the crisis in the Indian education system. Further, school vouchers can also have certain unintended consequences. Usually, parents who send their children to private schools spend from their own pockets (including money they may borrow). This is important to note because when parents pay from their own pockets, schools can only charge as fees an amount that these parents can actually pay. This means that the parents’ purchasing power limits how much private schools can charge as fees. But things are different when it comes to school vouchers, where it is the government that indirectly pays for the education of kids even though parents may decide where to spend the vouchers.

Governments, with the power to tax and also to create money, have the ability to raise unlimited funds. This can cause the price of education to rise far higher than it would be in a market free from government intervention. This is particularly so when political parties compete on who offers more money to parents through vouchers. In such a case, parents who pay from their own pockets will have to pay higher fees and may even seek vouchers.

Finally, as with any welfare spending, when a government promises to pay for education through vouchers, it may incentivize even people who are capable of paying for education out of their own pockets to opt for government help. Thus, a certain share of government subsidies offered as vouchers may simply end up substituting for money that parents would have spent on education anyway. Even private charities face this issue, but the incentive that they have to stop such substitution is far higher than is the case with governments which can easily rely on taxes and money creation to fund these subsidies.

In short, school vouchers may have limited impact in an education system plagued by supply-side problems, and they come with their own risks.

In 2009, India gave the cold shoulder to the idea of school choice to implement instead the Right to Education Act (RTE) which mandates that every child between 6 to 14 years of age must compulsorily be put in a local school. But RTE’s rules only further increased the regulatory burden on schools, leading to the shutting down of many low-budget private schools across the country, without addressing fundamental problems affecting supply of quality education in the country.

RTE continues to be riddled with problems that need complex fixes such as ensuring schools fall in line and no child is left behind.

(The student headcount figures used at the beginning of the article are based on Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) data published by the Ministry of Education, while education spending figures are based on calculations made in “Private and Public Expenditure on Education in India: Trend over last Seven Decades and impact on Economy” by Venkatanarayana Motkuri and E. Revathi)

Published - September 21, 2024 04:00 pm IST

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