The Supreme Court is expected to consider the Centre’s submission before the recommendations are formally implemented
KRC TIMES National Bureau
New Delhi: The Central government on Monday informed the Supreme Court that it has accepted the recommendations of an expert committee to introduce comprehensive sex education in schools and colleges across the country. The proposal will be implemented after obtaining the court’s approval.
Appearing before a bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and R Mahadevan, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati said the Centre has accepted the panel’s recommendations and intends to implement them nationwide.
The expert committee was constituted following directions from the Supreme Court, which had asked the Centre to examine measures to prevent consensual adolescent relationships and minor pregnancies from being unnecessarily criminalised under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
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In response, the Centre formed a 26-member national expert panel headed by an Additional Secretary from the Ministry of Women and Child Development. The committee was tasked with examining concerns related to adolescents’ privacy rights in consensual relationships, particularly under the provisions of the POCSO Act.
The panel included experts from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), clinical psychologists, representatives from various central ministries and state governments, as well as members of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA).
Among its key recommendations, the committee proposed making comprehensive sex education and awareness about child sexual abuse part of the core curriculum in schools. It also recommended age-appropriate lessons for younger children on personal hygiene, body awareness, safety, and the concepts of safe and unsafe touch.
The panel further suggested that the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) develop the curriculum in line with these recommendations. It also advised integrating adolescent education into school and college curricula in accordance with the objectives of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
The Supreme Court is expected to consider the Centre’s submission before the recommendations are formally implemented.
