NEW DELHI -- According to the Narendra Modi government, using the word "sex" in a government document for framing policy on sex education for school students can "offend" people. Even though it is unclear who these "people" are, reported The Telegraph, the human resource development (HRD) ministry asked an expert panel making recommendations for new education policy to remove the word "sex" and "sexual" from the final government document.
"They said that words like 'sex' or 'sexual' could not be allowed and the section had to be condensed into just one sentence," an unnamed source told the newspaper.
Now, instead of the sentences that included phrases like "sexual health needs", the only (oblique) reference to sex education in the final policy document is in the line, "The Adolescent Education Programme and National Population Education Programme need to be extended to all schools as early as possible."
Interestingly, the HRD ministry website, in its description of the Adolescence Education Programme, reads, "Imparting authentic knowledge to learners about Adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health (ARSH) concerns..." is among the objectives of the National Popular Education Programme (NPEP).
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