Sex Education necessary in Schools

 Introducing sex education in the schools of India is an important issue. Recommendations of the national curriculum framework 2000 focus on cultivating a proper understanding of sex related issues with special focuses on teenage pregnancies, drug addiction and adolescent sex education. A survey sponsored by the ministry of women and child development, government of India was carried out by the NGO prayas in association with UNICEF. It depicted that more than 53 percent of children in India were sexually abused. In half of these cases, the persons responsible for it are in positions of trust and a majority of the children do not report it due to fear. according to a government report during the year 2010,5484 children were sexually assaulted in various states and union territories.

Sex education has become a debatable issue. Many  people feel that such delicate issues should be left to the parents. Parents  feel embarrassed to talk openly with their children in this regard. Sex is still considered a taboo in Indian society. It is believed that teaching our children about their sexuality can break down preexisting notions of modesty and tear the moral fabric of our society. But with the alarming increase in the instances of  AIDS, unwanted unplanned pregnancies and other disease related to sex, it is important that sex education should be given importance in schools and colleges.

Physical and mental changes in children start appearing with puberty. Sexual development begins much earlier than that. many children find it strange or difficult to cope up with the changes. They grow up with curiosity stamped on their minds. So it is very important to provide them sex education. It makes growing children aware of the various changes taking place in their nobodies and prepares them for responsible adulthood.

Surveys indicate that on an average, every urban student watches television for two hours daily. Explicit sex scenes shown on some foreign television channels, the vulgar scenes shown in Indian cinema, internet pornography and indecent video albums ,etc. create a negative impact on them. The mobies and serial shown on the small screen stimulate the youngsters sexually. Thus in the absence of sound knowledge about sex they commit mistakes which result in unwanted pregnancies, HIV-positive cases and other sexually transmitted disease . in india 15 percent of HIV\AIDS victims. Even instances of unwanted pregnancies are reportedly much higher in such countries compared to those in the developed world.

There has been a rise in incidents of physical abuse of children. According to a WHO study over 50 Percent of children have faced one or more forms of sexual abuse. Children fall victim to the advances of elders. they keep silent and live with the trauma throughout their lives. Sex education can supply our young people with the tools to report and resist abusive behavior and provide them with a forum for expressing their fears and feelings honestly and openly. In a world full of exploitation, children are the most vulnerable section of our society . they need to be taught the difference between good touch and bad touch in order to protect themselves from various forms of child abuse.

Many psychologists have argued that sex education has the potential to liberate us from socially organized sexual oppression. In action, it helps adolescents come to healthy terms with their sexual identities and overcome feelings of guilt and shame. During the period of adolescence children begin to see the world in a mature way.

School life remains an integral part of every child development. Along with the academic subjects, sex education should be given trained teachers, psychologists and medical consultants’ should deal with the subject .while imparting sex education the boys and girls should be divided into two groups .they should be taught separately. lady teachers should teach girls and male teachers should teach boys. This way the children willnot feel embarrassed. They will freely clarify their doubts and queries. proper care should be taken about the contents of the subject. This should be decided by team of doctors and psychologists from the respective fields.

It is high time for sex education to be introduced in the educational curriculum. Sex education in schools would dispel many of the myths prevalent among school children.it will create a liberal thinking among youth.