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The infamous Arjun Singh has decided to introduce sex education into the syllabus of all CBSE (the Indian central board) schools starting this year, so as to prevent the spread of AIDS.
As usual for a Congresswallah, he completely messed it up.
I recently came across an article about this. I've edited out the bits inspired by tradition or culture, and present the core.
I'll point out the most glaring bit:
Perusal of the course contents, its fact sheet and the Handbook for Teachers [Adolescent Education Programme] as brought out by the Department of Education, Delhi Govt, shows that in class rooms teachers will ask one girl and one boy to come forward as volunteers and touch each other’s body till he or she felt uncomfortable. What happens if some boys and girls develop habit, fancy and taste of such touching and practise it after teacher has left the classroom as ‘practicals’? In all the countries where I served as Ambassador including the most permissive Finland I never came across such education where teachers are asking minor students to touch each other intimately, that, too, in the classroom.
The idea is so outrageous that if forced to do so in the class, the parents can file criminal complaint against the teacher under Section 354 (outraging the modesty of woman) and/or under Section 355 (dishonouring a person) of the Indian Penal Code carrying prison term up to two years. Section 509 of the IPC (intruding upon the privacy of women, by words or gestures or acts intended to insult the modesty of a woman) may also get attracted.
A teacher may plead that he had sought volunteers but consent of a minor in the eyes of law is no consent at all. Touching a female intimately does constitute outraging her modesty. Under Section 10 of the IPC, woman is a female of any age. Further, a teacher inside the class room exercises ‘command and control’ over students so charge against teacher will get aggravated carrying ‘custodial’ burden too. Senior officers of the education departments associated with this policy may face courts as ‘abettors’.
Rather than teaching sexology, anatomy and physically touching each other in classrooms, teenagers at the maximum may be exposed to the same literature which is routinely issued by the public health authorities in newspapers about AIDS, how it spreads and its preventions. Detailed exposure to sex education and anatomy may be taught at graduate level when a student is no more a minor.
What the hell? I mean seriously, what the bloody hell?
In fact, this is probably the one point where I can agree with those who say that sex ed will encourage kids to have sex - you're starting them out by touching each other?!
Now sex education may or may not be a good thing - IMO, it should be treated as just another part of life instead of treating it as something special in which someone needs to be specially educated, with no reservations in society about it. That is, in fact, the traditional Indian attitude to it. For instance, the epics contain so many stories of sexual encounters that it is impossible for a child to avoid them, unless he has been deliberately shielded from them, as is unfortunately the case in most of India, due to prudish attitudes.
Be that as it may, however, the approach that Arjun Singh is taking is completely ass-backwards.
Opinions?
As usual for a Congresswallah, he completely messed it up.
I recently came across an article about this. I've edited out the bits inspired by tradition or culture, and present the core.
I'll point out the most glaring bit:
Perusal of the course contents, its fact sheet and the Handbook for Teachers [Adolescent Education Programme] as brought out by the Department of Education, Delhi Govt, shows that in class rooms teachers will ask one girl and one boy to come forward as volunteers and touch each other’s body till he or she felt uncomfortable. What happens if some boys and girls develop habit, fancy and taste of such touching and practise it after teacher has left the classroom as ‘practicals’? In all the countries where I served as Ambassador including the most permissive Finland I never came across such education where teachers are asking minor students to touch each other intimately, that, too, in the classroom.
The idea is so outrageous that if forced to do so in the class, the parents can file criminal complaint against the teacher under Section 354 (outraging the modesty of woman) and/or under Section 355 (dishonouring a person) of the Indian Penal Code carrying prison term up to two years. Section 509 of the IPC (intruding upon the privacy of women, by words or gestures or acts intended to insult the modesty of a woman) may also get attracted.
A teacher may plead that he had sought volunteers but consent of a minor in the eyes of law is no consent at all. Touching a female intimately does constitute outraging her modesty. Under Section 10 of the IPC, woman is a female of any age. Further, a teacher inside the class room exercises ‘command and control’ over students so charge against teacher will get aggravated carrying ‘custodial’ burden too. Senior officers of the education departments associated with this policy may face courts as ‘abettors’.
Rather than teaching sexology, anatomy and physically touching each other in classrooms, teenagers at the maximum may be exposed to the same literature which is routinely issued by the public health authorities in newspapers about AIDS, how it spreads and its preventions. Detailed exposure to sex education and anatomy may be taught at graduate level when a student is no more a minor.
In fact, this is probably the one point where I can agree with those who say that sex ed will encourage kids to have sex - you're starting them out by touching each other?!
Now sex education may or may not be a good thing - IMO, it should be treated as just another part of life instead of treating it as something special in which someone needs to be specially educated, with no reservations in society about it. That is, in fact, the traditional Indian attitude to it. For instance, the epics contain so many stories of sexual encounters that it is impossible for a child to avoid them, unless he has been deliberately shielded from them, as is unfortunately the case in most of India, due to prudish attitudes.
Be that as it may, however, the approach that Arjun Singh is taking is completely ass-backwards.
Opinions?
I support this btw. anything that gets aneeshm's goat is worth supporting.
Good thing I wasn't in that class. I'd miss graduation 'cause I'd still be feeling up my classmate. 
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