Sex education for growing teenagers in India has always been viewed as a controversial subject and there have always been two camps; one in support and one against it. It is time for us to understand the need and importance of sex education for our growing children that is as essential as formal education in developing a normal, healthy and aware individual.

IN a society where the word "sex" brings an embarrassed smile on most faces along with an urge to look away, the government’s and educators recent efforts to bring some forbidden words out of the closet in the form of a brand-new adolescent education programme has led to a debate on pros and cons of sex education in Indian schools.

What kinda secrecy and conspiracy is it, that we become so cautious while discussing SEX or while talking about it with peers, adults, children. We blame the society when we read these rape news. Who is responsible? Aren’t we seeing so many juveniles who are the culprits behind these rapes? Why these innocent teenagers who should be into the career developments are going ahead to attempt a crime like rape? Ever thought that way? No one is born criminal after all.

It’s the lack of sex education in India that’s causing so much devastation right now. Our nation is deteriorating with each passing day. The effort of punishing the rapist is not the mere solution. Can’t we see that? We are human beings, there’s an imbalance that happens in our body with age and puberty is what they call it. It’s the stage where adolescents reach sexual maturity and become capable of reproduction.

More than "sex education", there appears to be a great Indian mental block against the three-letter word ‘sex’. The word, for many, seems to suggest loose morality and promiscuous behaviour. Therefore, it should not be surprising that the HRD Ministry’s teen education plan started a debate on country’s social fabric, cultural ethos and moral ethics.

Conservatives explain that it is the "activity" involved with the word that makes it objectionable. Education is a sacred, pure word. But when ‘sex" is added as the prefix, the purpose of education gets defeated.

Interestingly, the word ‘sexy’ is used by modern-day youngsters as part of common parlance. Clothes can be sexy, a book can be sexy, even a mouth-watering samosa can be called sexy. Filmstars like Shah Rukh Khan, Bipasha Basu, John Abraham and even the 60 plus Bachchan are sexy. In fact, it is an achievement of sorts if a model or a film star gets the sexy tag. It is part of filmi songs and dialogues. In Cheeni Kum, Bachchan calls his six-year-old friend in the film "Sexy". But for middle-class moms and dads, it is certainly not sexy if their child uses the word sexy.

"Sexy may be a hip word but for me, it is an uncomfortable word that should not be frivolously used by youngsters to describe how "hot" or "cool" some people or things are," says Anita Malik, a schoolteacher. So when her teenage son used the word "sexy" to describe how cool his new pair of jeans was, she was quick to reprimand him not to use the word in front of his seven-year-old sister, who in turn promptly asked her mother what the word meant.

If the word sexy could be objectionable, no wonder that most households consider it a complete no-no to have discussions on sex, condoms and HIV/AIDS.

In all, most parents share the feeling that sex education should be carried out in a sensitive way so that no one is uncomfortable and offended. And maybe if the subject is taught to boys and girls separately, it will raise the comfort level of teachers as well as students.

Incidentally, sex education has managed to evoke the response from politicians in power as well those in the Opposition.

Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss, naturally, in its favour, says sex education will not increase promiscuity but help youngsters make the right choices.

He says Indian parents should be more worried about what their children are learning from films and television. "Children need the education to avoid making wrong choices and be completely aware of the risks involved in unsafe sex, like teenage pregnancies and HIV/AIDS," he adds.

The solution to this problem probably lies in adopting the "middle path". Maybe the syllabus needs to focus on education in line with India’s social fabric while emphasising health concerns. Maybe it is also time for parents to not only stop being uncomfortable with the subject but also pitch in. As they say, who can be better teachers than parents?

At the school level, there are various successful models being followed the world over to choose from and reform our own system where confusion prevails. As important as the curriculum is the awareness level of teachers. More than the words, what is more, important is the intention with which one uses them.