The CBSE’s efforts to introduce sex education in schools under its Adolescent Education Programme (AEP) has run into a wall in Maharasthra, where the state government has succumbed to demands from MLAs and declared that not only will it ban all books on sex education that are part of the CBSE school syllabus, it will also not introduce the subject in Std X at schools following the state syllabus.

The decision comes in response to a demand from both Opposition and ruling party MLAs, some of who believe sex education can corrupt young minds.

Minister of State for School Education Hasan Mushrif announced the decision in the Assembly after the Opposition and Treasury benches held up copies of excerpts from the CBSE syllabus and demanded that the state refrain from introducing sex education in schools.

Some MLAs also waved copies of a state government-published booklet, Kishorawastha Jivan Kaushalya Karyakram, that instructs teachers on how to introduce sex education.

Even this demand, Mushrif conceded. “The booklet published by us is for use of teachers not students,” he said. “But we are withdrawing it. And as far as sex education books in CBSE schools are concerned, we’ll ban them they way we banned James Laine’s book (on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj). We will inform CBSE.”

The issue was raised in the House through a calling attention motion by Rajendra Patni (Shiv Sena) and others. They alleged that “western countries” had compelled the Centre to introduce sex education, which had the potential of “spoiling the younger generation”, in CBSE schools.

... contd.