From Good Touch To Consent: Sex Education May Soon Become Part Of School Curriculum As Centre Tells Supreme Court It Is Ready To Implement
· Free Press Journal
The Centre has told the Supreme Court that it is ready to introduce comprehensive sex education in schools and colleges across the country, a move that could bring a major change to the way children learn about health, safety and relationships.
Appearing before a bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and R Mahadevan on Monday, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati informed the court that the government has accepted the recommendations of an expert committee and will implement them after receiving the Supreme Court's approval.
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The committee was constituted after the apex court asked the Centre to examine how consensual relationships between adolescents and cases involving minor pregnancies are dealt with under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The court had asked the government to explore ways to ensure such cases are not automatically treated as criminal offences while balancing children's rights and legal safeguards.
The 26-member panel, chaired by an Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Women and Child Development, included representatives from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), clinical psychologists, officials from central ministries and state governments, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), and the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA).
Age-appropriate curriculum proposed
Among its key recommendations, the panel has suggested introducing comprehensive sex education and child sexual abuse awareness as part of the core curriculum. For younger children, it has proposed age-appropriate lessons on personal hygiene, body awareness, personal safety, and good touch and bad touch. For older students, topics such as puberty, emotional and physical changes, reproductive health, consent, healthy relationships and respect have been recommended in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
The committee has also asked NCERT to revise the curriculum accordingly.
Educators say many schools have already been conducting awareness sessions, but a structured curriculum would ensure that all students receive scientifically accurate and age-appropriate information.
Sharmila Thakur, Principal of The Orchids International School, Dombivli, described the proposal as "positive and much needed."
"Schools today are responsible for much more than academics. Children are exposed to information online at a very young age, but it is not always accurate or age-appropriate. If schools provide scientifically correct guidance in a structured manner, it will benefit students. The important thing is to introduce these topics gradually, keeping a child's age and maturity in mind," she said.
According to Thakur, comprehensive sex education goes beyond the subject itself and equips children with essential life skills.
"It helps children understand personal safety, body autonomy, puberty, consent and how to seek help if something feels wrong. It also encourages respect for others and reduces misconceptions around natural physical and emotional changes. If handled sensitively, this is really about life skills and child protection rather than just sex education," she added.
However, she pointed out that implementation would be the biggest challenge.
"Teachers will require proper training because these are sensitive subjects. Schools will also need a well-designed curriculum, age-specific teaching material and clear guidelines. Parents should also be involved because some may have misconceptions about what comprehensive sex education includes. Building trust between schools and families will be just as important as training teachers."
Suma Das, Principal of Pawar Public School, echoed similar views said the move was overdue but necessary.
"If it has to happen late, better late than never. But it has to be handled in a very sensitive manner so that children are guided in the right way," she said.
Das said her school already invites doctors and experts to conduct sessions when students reach puberty. However, she believes a formal curriculum is now essential because children are being exposed to misinformation at a much younger age.
"From Class 5 or 6 onwards, children are already exposed to all kinds of information through peers and the internet. They often don't have a clear understanding. If it is taught scientifically with age-appropriate content, it will help students in the long run," she added.
The panel's emphasis on teaching younger children about body awareness and personal safety also found support among parents.
Parents welcome the move
Dolly V, mother of a 16-year-old daughter and a 10-year-old son, said schools are the right place for children to receive factual information.
"This should have happened much earlier. When children are only told not to ask questions or not to see certain things, their curiosity increases. If teachers explain what is right and what is wrong, children will understand better and make informed choices instead of relying on incomplete information from others," she said.
Echoing similar views, Mukesh Vishwakarma, whose daughter studies in Class 3, said introducing age-appropriate lessons from the early years would be beneficial.
"Education is always good. It should begin from the nursery level itself. My daughter's previous school had already introduced sex education, and I think it helped create awareness," he said.
Doctor urges schools and parents to work together
Dr Shaheen Qureshi, Senior Resident Medical Officer, Lion TBHRC & Mata Lachmi Hospital said, "The introduction of sex education in schools is a positive and welcome step, but the main focus should be on how it is implemented, as its implementation will determine the impact it has on students individually and on society as a whole." She further added that the presentation of the subject is equally important, and its concepts should be introduced gradually, with the depth of explanation increasing from one grade to the next while keeping in mind students' mental and emotional readiness to understand the content.
She even highlighted how parents often avoid discussing sex education with their children and may even discourage such conversations. Dr Qureshi mentioned that "parents should also devote time to educating their children on the subject, as they play the most important role in their upbringing. When parents avoid these discussions, children often turn elsewhere to satisfy their curiosity, such as friends, the internet, or other sources, which may expose them to misinformation or have an adverse impact. Therefore, active parental involvement in sex education is equally important and should be encouraged as much as possible."
Schools call for a wider curriculum
Sunayana Awasthi, Principal of Kanakia International School, said many private schools have already incorporated similar awareness programmes through their counselling teams.
"We already conduct sessions on good touch, bad touch, POCSO awareness and personal safety from pre-primary onwards. If this now becomes part of the formal curriculum, it is definitely a good move. Some schools have already started doing this, while others may take time," she said.
Awasthi added that the curriculum should not stop at personal safety but should also cover puberty, physical and emotional changes, reproductive health and other aspects of adolescent development.
"Children should understand what happens before and after puberty, how their bodies change and why. They should know these things so they are better prepared and aware," she said.
If approved by the Supreme Court, the Centre's decision will pave the way for a standardised, age-appropriate sex education curriculum across schools and colleges, aimed at giving children accurate information on health, safety, consent and personal well-being while reducing myths and misinformation.