- Undoubtedly, there should be no ambiguity whatsoever on the subject matter when any society firmly considers itself to be on the path of development in line with the changing times. You see, we are not living in medieval times where certain topics were considered taboo for open discussions. This claim too can be contested as the ancient Indian scriptures vividly depict various intimate postures carved out openly in some of the most prominent heritage sites visited by millions. Does it mean our ancestors were more liberal and advanced in their thought processes back then as compared to the present-day world where we pride ourselves on being a technologically driven pathway with the accompanying modernity of all hues? Not at all.
PC: focusonthefamily
- Unwelcomingly, the prudish line of thinking pervades everywhere including our education system. Even though India is the most populous nation in the world, it is to be noted that our education system is still grappling to break out of the puritanical viewpoints hugely borrowed from the Anglo-Saxon influences of past centuries, a legacy of the British Raj. Thus, anything related to the procreation and reproduction of human beings is not shared openly and healthily without ever attaching strings like culture, tradition, and the Indian way of living even now, whatever it is. This is an inalienable truth always encompassing the narrative associated with sex education per se.
- Unfortunately, the British have left the Indian shores long back, but the more liberalized society of yore has fully embraced the leftovers from the legacy that continues to take center stage in all our routine narratives, including sex education. The moot point to ponder over here is how to break this monotony surrounding the most crucial and essential understanding for children in their adolescence and puberty inquisitively keen to understand the natural course of growth. Irritatingly, the conditioning of any average Indian family is similar across the length and breadth of the country where the parents themselves are averse to discussing the process of procreation and reproduction matter-of-factly.
PC: Femina
- Mind you, a child must comprehend what’s happening within his/her body when mother nature initiates transformation organically. Maybe mothers will be at hand to patiently narrate how puberty is attained when a girl child receives her first menstrual period. Can the same be said about boy children? It’s best left to the imagination of all concerned since it’s easily comprehensible that fathers would not have lucidly narrated about immersing oneself in self-pleasure using masturbation, for instance. Most men would have grown by self-experiencing the natural course of attaining puberty by embracing whatever means available at that time. This is a digital age where every piece of information is available for browsing.
- However, rather than allow children to self-learn from other sources that might not be appropriate or provide half-baked information leading to harmful outcomes, why not introduce a more pragmatic, healthier, and illuminating sex education in our curriculum to make it easy for children to comprehend their existence? The time has come to introduce these measures. Take inputs from experts, parents, educators, liberators, and the ilk for the purpose. This could go a long way in ushering the much-needed sex education for our children who will be driving the nation’s growth.
