December 28, 2005

No sex education please, we are Hindus!

http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=2&theme=&usrsess=1&id=100828

No sex education please, we are Hindus!
Ranjeet S Jamwal
in Jaipur
Dec. 27. — Should schools educate students about sex related issues? Definitely not, as far the Vishwa Hindu Parishad is concerned, as it fears sex education would encourage immorality among school students.
The Rajasthan government has included sex education in the curriculum for Class XI and students will be given lessons on the topic from the coming session. But the VHP is opposing the inclusion of sex education in the school syllabus and has threatened to resist it at every level.
A spokesperson of the state unit of VHP, Mr Mahavir Parikh said the government should rethink the proposal and see to it that sex education does not become part of school education. He said it would encourage immorality among students.
Citing the example of western countries where sex education is part of the curriculum, Mr Parikh said the results have not been good there and incidents of young girls becoming pregnant at young age have increased. “Rather, the government should provide education that inculcates good values in students according to our culture,” Mr Parikh said.
A senior education department official, however, said just three chapters on life skills have been included in the syllabus for class XI. “But these three chapters are not all about sex but various problems young people face while growing up. But yes, sex education is definitely a part of it,” the official said.
“The government has approved the inclusion of sex education in the syllabus under the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA),” the official added. The VHP has decided to registered its protest with the education minister.