Minister bats for sex education in schools

With a minor named as accused in the Delhi gang rape incident, HRD minister M M Pallam Raju feels that sex education should be made an integral part of the school curriculum.

‘We have already started talking about this... Something has to be part of our curriculum,’ he said on Wednesday, reacting to a query on Justice J S Verma Panel’s recommendation for gender sensitisation through education.

The Verma committee, set up to suggest ways to make rape laws stronger in the country, had said that formal curriculum in schools must be drastically revamped and sex education be made an integral part of the curriculum.

Raju said the Centre would talk to the states on the issue as they have different curriculum bodies.

‘We will work on it. States have own curriculum bodies. We will talk. Everybody realizes the importance of it,’ he said.

Raju said he would also exchange his thoughts on the issue with the NCERT chairperson.

‘... I will see to what level Justice Verma’s recommendations can be implemented. It is not a one person’s decision,’ he said, adding that the issues like how community reacts to such a move and what age the students are ready have to be looked into to implement the the proposal.

He also said that the government has decided to set up on a pilot basis 200 community colleges within the existing colleges and polytechnics from the coming academic session.  He said these colleges will act as a potent tool for implementation of the National Vocational Education Qualification Framework notified last year.