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Sex education in new syllabus       The Council of Boards of School Education in India (COBSE) has proposed the introduction of sex education in Class 10 and 12 new syllabus. The state boards — West Bengal Board of Secondary Education and West Bengal Council for Higher Secondary Education has welcomed the move. The boards have also started preparing the draft syllabus for this.    The COBSE has notified that sex education will be implemented by all the state boards from Class 9 till Class 12. The members of COBSE observed that there is a growing need for sex education as the present generation are affected due to misinformation and various types of complication and illegal issues. Hence, it is important to make the students aware. President of the WBCHSE and the state representative, Muktinath Chatterjee echoed the same views.   According to the sources of the council, sex education will not only be a part of the science subjects but also included in the syllabi of subjects like education, sociology and psychology. Suggestions from the experts of the syllabus committee will be taken to come up with a reframed syllabus. However, examination will not be taken on sex education.   Earlier during the Left Front government, the state school education department had implemented life-style education which flopped badly. The classes dedicated for the life-style education were either converted in PT classes or games classes. The board authorities are unsure about the spontaneity of the teachers teaching in the co-ed schools. But the proposal has been immensely appreciated by a large section of the civil society. Actress Rituparna Sengupta said, “It is a bold move by the school boards as the adolescent need to be enlightened with the larger aspect. This would also help to reduce the crime rate among the teenagers.”   Sohini Sen Gupta said: “Since I teach in a school, I would appreciate if teachers are also properly trained in teaching sex education. With the implementation of this, it will also clear the misinformation among the youth.”   Sex Education in India   Educationist and Experts say that the  sex education in India is quite different from in the West because it is 'legitimate' here for young people to have sex. According to the National Family Health Survey conducted by the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) and Macro International in 2005-06, 12% women aged between 15-19 years are mothers.   The survey said that one in six Indian women aged 15-19 starts to have children. Dr Sunil Mehra, director of the MAMTA Health Institute for Mother and Child, says, "Youth in India needs sex education more than in any other country since child marriage ensures that you not only have sex at a young age, you also have teenage pregnancy."

Sex Education opposition    Sex education implementation has not found favour with the Indian policy makers yet. The reasons cited for this decision is that the content material of the sex education is too explicit and it can be embarrassing for the school teachers or the staff entrusted with the responsibility. The content of sex education, as proposed by organisations such as WHO, are not acceptable to Indian sensibilities.     The government authorities in India to cite “cultural and social values” for their decision to decry sex education. But without good information about safe sex, can we prevent the rise of premarital sex among the urban youth, or *teenage pregnancy* in rural girls. The Indian authorities have conveniently avoided this question all the time.    Sex education can also help with India's fight against Aids. Government statistics indicate that 40% of new sexually transmitted infections are in the 15-29 age group. More than 31% of all reported Aids cases occur in this age group, which indicates that young Indians are a high-risk demographic.   Ranjana Kumari, director of the Centre for Social Research says sex education achieves many goals missed by a blinkered Parliamentary Committee. Not least sexual abuse. A nationwide study by the Department of Women and Child Development says that 53.2% children have faced one or more forms of sexual abuse and at least half the perpetrators were known to the child. "We have to educate youth so they can protect themselves," says Kumari.

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