A Father's Anger, A Teacher's Quiet Class: Inside India's Slow Crawl Towards Sex Education

Asked whether he had ever heard of sex education, Rahul Gupta, a Class 12 biology student, paused. He looked down, fiddled with his hands and laughed nervously. "Umm... uh..." he said, looking for an answer. He broke a long silence and said, “We learn about reproduction in the class, but nobody really talks about sex education.”

Every day, 17-year-old Gupta, who lives on the outskirts of Gurugram, leaves home with a backpack filled with biology, chemistry and physics textbooks, hoping to score well enough in the board examinations to secure admission to a government college. His father works in the private sector, his mother manages the household and like many middle-class families, education is seen as the surest path to a more secure future.

At school, he spends hours memorising diagrams of the human reproductive system, learning scientific terms and preparing for examinations. Outside the classroom, however, conversations about relationships, consent, puberty or sexual health rarely take place.

“People do not talk about things like saying yes or no to sex, relationships being healthy and taking care of your own body,” Gupta told Outlook. “This is what happens to a lot of students in the country where people think sex education is not a thing to talk about even though many people have said it should be taught in school.”

In India, his experience shows that of many, where classes in biology often end at reproductive anatomy and wider conversations on consent, healthy relationships, online safety, puberty and sexual health are absent. "If someone explained these things properly, students would know what is right and what is wrong instead of learning from friends or the internet,” Gupta added.

Carrying a stack of science textbooks, Amrita Thakur, a 28-year-old science teacher, walks into her classroom in a government senior secondary school in a remote village in Himachal Pradesh, where she teaches about human growth, development and reproduction as part of the curriculum. However, when the lessons turn to adolescence, she feels a familiar change in the classroom.

"The moment I began teaching the chapter on adolescence, the classroom became much quieter than usual," Thakur recalled. "Very few students were willing to ask questions in front of their classmates. After the lesson, a handful of them came to me privately to clear their doubts. That made me realise they were curious and wanted accurate information, but they were afraid of being judged or laughed at."

For Thakur, this experience pointed to a gap beyond textbooks. She said that schools need to create a safe, respectful space where students can discuss these topics scientifically, without embarrassment or stigma. Interestingly, her experience mirrors that of many teachers as the Centre prepares a framework for age-appropriate sex education in schools following the Supreme Court's directions.

Recently, the Centre has informed the Supreme Court (SC) that it has accepted the recommendations of a 26-member national expert committee to introduce comprehensive, age-appropriate sex education in schools and colleges. The programme, however, will be rolled out only after the apex court approves the recommendations.

The proposal seeks to establish a structured curriculum covering subjects ranging from body awareness and hygiene to cyber safety, emotional well-being and age-appropriate components of sex education. It also follows the Supreme Court's concerns over the criminalisation of consensual adolescent relationships under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.

Awareness Ends Before It Starts

For 24-year-old Virat Mishra, curiosity had once got the better of him in secondary school. Like many teenagers, he had questions about sex, relationships and his changing body. However, he could not ask at school and ultimately turned to the internet to look for answers.

“The first thing I discovered was pornography in my early teens,” he recalled. "I thought that is what relationships and sex were like at that age because no one had told me anything.” His search for answers did not remain private for long.

One day his father found him browsing pornography on the internet. Mishra said that my father was furious. "He berated me and told me that I was disgracing the family. He was much embarrassed by the incident," Mishra added. Embarrassed, Mishra stayed away from conversations at home for days afterwards, found it hard to meet his parents’ eyes and kept his questions to himself.

Mishra remembers the time really well. A friend had shown him a video and after that it became a habit, as he did not know how to stop watching them. He added, “Nobody actually talked about what any of it meant.” At 17, he learnt some things about sex, women and his body from those videos.

He added, “They were distorted. I did not have any adult to talk to about these things because my parents never had that conversation with me that might have helped me to understand things better.”

Outlook reached out to several parents and found that the reluctance was not uniform. Some parents were completely opposed to the idea, insisting that sex education had no place in their child's upbringing at all. Others were not against it in principle, but simply did not know how to approach the subject with their children, admitting they lacked the words or the comfort to begin. Additionally, many said there was no need for sex education at all, believing their children would simply “figure it out” as they grew older.

Across these varying positions, one thing remained consistent: the conversation, in most homes, is simply not happening. A father of three, who did not want to be named, said he is uncomfortable with the proposal to bring in sex education in schools. He is afraid such lessons would expose children to subjects they were “too young” to discuss.

"I do not believe this is necessary. Children should just focus on studying. Why introduce all this into school? Once they start learning about these topics, they will want to find out more. These days children learn things fast. We should not support it,” he said.

According to a 2022 review by the Population Foundation of India (PFI), parents remain among the most influential stakeholders in children’s lives but are often left out of sexuality education programmes. It recommended engaging parents through orientation and sensitisation sessions before such initiatives begin, saying this helps reduce stigma, improves acceptance and makes conversations around sexuality easier within families.

“Teachers and school counsellors really should get specialised training about curriculum content, child safeguarding protocols and also the way to respond to those sensitive questions in a suitable manner. Just as important is the involvement of parents through orientation sessions that map out the goals and the rationale behind the curriculum. When families keep up to date, it can reduce misinformation, build stronger confidence and help create a steadier learning environment for children,” said Praneet Mungali, Trustee, Sanskriti Group of Schools.

Schools Left To Fill The Gap

While speaking to Outlook, many teachers from government and private schools in urban and rural India supported age-appropriate education and sexual health, but said introducing it in classrooms would require much more than a policy announcement. Some cited the absence of a specific curriculum in practice, no formal training, confusion about what they could talk to students about, pressure to cover an already over-full syllabus and fears that parents might object or misunderstand what was being said in the classroom.

One government school teacher, who requested anonymity, said, "We teach what's in the book, but if students ask questions beyond what it says, many teachers don't know where that line is. We are not trained for these conversations. "There is also the fear that a parent might misinterpret what was said in class and complain." Most teachers don’t want to invite trouble, so they get through the chapter and move on, though we know students still have questions.”

Thakur, who teaches students in Himachal, believes that sex education should be viewed as an essential part of health education rather than as a taboo subject. When taught in an age-appropriate, scientific and value-based manner, it helps students understand their bodies, make responsible decisions, respect others and protect themselves from misinformation and abuse, she added.

The PFI review also examined two national adolescent education initiatives – the Adolescence Education Programme (AEP) and the School Health Programme (SHP). While government programmes increasingly recognise adolescent health needs, they continue to focus largely on nutrition, menstruation, substance use, HIV/AIDS and, more recently, mental health, the report said.

It found that social, emotional and psychological aspects of sexual and reproductive health remain inadequately covered, despite their importance in enabling adolescents to make informed decisions about their bodies and relationships. It added that programmes should not rely solely on schools but combine classroom teaching with community activities to reach a wider range of adolescents.

The review also mentioned that comprehensive sexuality education should extend beyond preventing disease and unwanted pregnancy to include discussions on healthy relationships, consent, communication, gender equality, emotional wellbeing and life skills. Experts also noted that programmes centred only on public health outcomes risk overlooking broader goals such as building confidence, promoting gender-equitable attitudes, preventing violence and helping young people develop respectful relationships.

Additionally, the report found that while government curricula acknowledge diversity among adolescents, their content largely shows binary understandings of gender and heterosexual relationships. It said curricula require stronger representation of marginalised groups and more nuanced discussions on discrimination, gender identity and inclusion to better reflect adolescents' lived realities.

“As a child, I was exposed to what was then called as sex education through a subject called ‘Moral Science’, 40 years ago. Times are certainly different from what they were then. Irrespective of then vs now, it is important to first understand comprehensive sexuality. Education is not simply about teaching children about sex. At its core, it is about safety, body awareness, relationships, respect and informed decision-making," said Vinesh Menon, School Education Practitioner and Policy Expert.

Beyond Biology And Reproduction

According to media reports, the committee has recommended a graded approach under which basic lessons would begin during the foundational years. Younger children would be introduced to personal safety, body awareness, hygiene, and the distinction between safe and unsafe touch.

“Many young people still have a lack of awareness around child protection legislation, digital safety, and the idea of consent. Comprehensive sexuality education can help, with age-appropriate chats and those awkward, messy topics that actually improve their understanding of legal limits while also nudging more responsible judgement, and healthier relationships,” stated Mungali.

Also, instead of teaching all topics uniformly, the committee has proposed a "progressive, age-specific framework" for classes 6-8, 9-10 and 11-12. Under this model, each subject would be introduced gradually, revisited in later years and discussed in greater depth as students mature. It is expected to cover gender equality, health and hygiene, emotional well-being, cyber safety, awareness of the POCSO Act and age-appropriate elements.

“Comprehensive sexuality education can empower teenagers to differentiate between healthy, mutually respectful friendships and coercive, exploitative behaviours that cross boundaries. By replacing peer-influenced opinions with objective legal literacy, the curriculum can help transform abstract laws into actionable guidelines for real-life choices. This will help in reducing the risk of legal entanglements,” stated Kalai Selvi, Head of School (Vidyashilp Academy).

For the success of this initiative, Selvi added that a ban on certain inappropriate, provocative information that is widely accessible on social media for children needs to be curtailed. On the issue of consent, the committee has recommended that the concept be excluded from lessons for younger children, which is likely to be introduced at the secondary stage within a medico-legal framework.

“Recommendation for postponing discussion of consent until age at which it is suitable. Children should learn to look after themselves and put their own limits in place, to know what constitutes good touch and bad touch, and what adults they can approach for help, in the early years. Consent discussions become more relevant and meaningful as adolescents begin to form more complex social relationships,” Mungali said.

Making Room For Difficult Conversations

Teacher preparation is expected to be central to the rollout. The committee has said educators should undergo training in the "age-appropriate delivery" of adolescent education modules, courses and curricula before conducting classes.

Trained teachers would serve as the primary facilitators, while non-governmental organisations with proven experience in child protection may assist in building their capacity.

In 2024, the Ministry of Education informed the Rajya Sabha that nearly 7 lakh health and wellness ambassadors had been trained and oriented across 446 districts in 28 states and eight Union Territories.

According to experts, policymakers should monitor measures such as children's understanding of child safety practices and reporting of child abuse, child behaviours regarding seeking help, and indicators of children's understanding of consent, cyber safety, mental health warning signs, bullying of children and risky behaviours.

“Equally important, it should be checked to see if a student's confidence in contacting support systems increases. Combined, these indicators help to determine whether the curriculum is actually making a difference in child safety and adolescent health, and in overall well-being, generally,” stated Mungali.

Additionally, the committee further recommended that information relating to POCSO cases be made accessible to all relevant child protection stakeholders to improve coordination.

The recommendations added that content should be youth-friendly, clear, concise and age-appropriate and should be available in regional languages and displayed prominently in schools, hospitals, bus stands and other public spaces.

“The success or failure of this initiative will ultimately depend less on the quality of the textbook and more on the confidence and competence of the adult delivering it. India should consider a structured certification program for designated teachers and counsellors, supported by standardised teaching resources, Menon said.

For Gupta, the question is not if students need to know about sex education, but if they will have a place to learn it without embarrassment or misinformation.

At 17, he is still studying the human reproductive system in biology class and preparing for his board examinations, but said there are no wider conversations about relationships, consent and sexual health.

“I hope the government and everyone involved will implement it properly. Lots of policies are announced, but sometimes they take years because of different obstacles. If this is to help the students, it should reach the schools and not be only on paper,” said Gupta.