Sex education is turning out to be an tricky proposition in the southern states where different sections have taken cudgels against the Centre’s idea.
Govt in Karnataka, teachers in Kerala and parents in Tamil Nadu oppose the proposal
CHENNAI: Sex education in schools is turning out to be an tricky proposition in the southern states where different sections have taken cudgels against the Centre’s idea.
While it was the government in Karnataka and teachers in Kerala who opposed the proposal, in Tamil Nadu, one of the three states that consented to sex-ed, a parents’ body has vowed to defeat the “mindless move”.
Parents’ Federation (PF) on Tuesday submitted a petition signed by about 1,000 parents to the parliamentary committee on petitions at a public hearing in Chennai. Their concern: Sex-ed will corrupt the child’s mind and is against Tamil culture. Committee chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said the proposal has been opposed so far by 11 states and accepted by only three.
“The proposal to give sex education from Class III is ridiculous. Do the teachers know the implications of telling a seven-year-old about his/her private parts? This is going to erode our traditional values and morality and we parents cannot just allow that,” says PF coordinator K Ganesan.
“Sex-ed is against Tamil culture, which has its own ways involving parents to subtly educate adolescents. We cannot trust teachers on this,” says V Subramanyam, another office bearer and a father of two girls aged 16 and 12 years.
While the Karnataka government has outright rejected the proposal, in Kerala, where a survey found 80% of students eager to take sex-ed classes, the teachers said no. In Andhra Pradesh, ‘adolescent education’ has been introduced in a few schools, but is seldom taught.
Experts feel the opposition is a huge leap backward in equipping children. “Sex education should be introduced around high school. Scientific data show that children are attaining puberty one year earlier every decade and the age of marriage is being raised. How can the body keep quiet then? The only way out is to make them protect themselves by telling them what is what,” says sexologist Dr Narayan Reddy.
Adds Centre for Prevention and Healing of Child Sexual Abuse (CPHCSA) executive director Vidya Reddy:
“Studies have found that a large number of children aged between five and 11 are sexually abused. Making the child aware of his/ her body parts prevents such abuse to a large extent,” she says.
Dr Reddy has a word of caution, though. “First the teachers have to be specially trained to impart such education to prevent any misfiring,” he says.
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