Comprehensive Sex Education Likely to Be Introduced in Schools, Centre Tells Supreme Court
Comprehensive Sex Education Likely to Be Introduced in Schools, Centre Tells Supreme Court
New Delhi, July 15: The Central government has informed the Supreme Court that it has accepted the recommendation to introduce comprehensive sex education in schools and colleges across India. The proposal, aimed at improving adolescent awareness, child safety and life skills, will be implemented after the apex court reviews and approves the recommendations.
The submission was made before a bench of Justices B.V. Nagarathna and R. Mahadevan. Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati told the court that the Centre has accepted the report prepared by a national expert committee and plans to implement its recommendations across the country.
The committee was formed following a Supreme Court directive to examine measures to address the rising number of adolescent pregnancies while ensuring that consensual relationships between minors are not unnecessarily criminalised under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The 26-member expert panel, headed by the Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Women and Child Development, included representatives from central ministries, state governments, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), clinical psychologists, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA).
Among its key recommendations is the inclusion of comprehensive sex education and child sexual abuse awareness as part of the core school curriculum. The panel has proposed age-appropriate lessons on body safety, personal hygiene, safe and unsafe touch, and emotional well-being from the foundational stage. More detailed adolescent education is recommended from Class 6 onwards through a graded curriculum, to be developed by NCERT.
The report also recommends aligning adolescent education with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, with a focus on holistic development, life skills and critical thinking. Existing adolescent education programmes should also be reviewed and strengthened.
In addition, the committee has suggested appointing trained educators to conduct mandatory 15 to 20-minute sessions twice a week on these topics. It has also recommended regular awareness programmes for parents, guardians and teachers to help them better understand children’s development and the importance of comprehensive sex education.
Senior advocates Madhavi Divan and Liz Mathew, serving as amicus curiae in the case, welcomed the recommendations and urged the formal inclusion of comprehensive sex education in the education system.
The Supreme Court has taken note of the Centre’s submission and is expected to examine the recommendations before passing further orders.
