Despite the lack of a formal Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) curriculum in place in India, there has been a growing interest in providing CSE programmes in schools. Still, several challenges persist, which prevent their effective delivery and implementation. Through discussions with schools and educators, TARSHI has learnt that schools often struggle to bring on board all stakeholders in seeing the value CSE holds for young people’s wellbeing, in accessing accurate and reliable sources of information on sexuality, and in addressing the discomfort that arises when discussing these sensitive topics with students. This article captures the reflections and key takeaways from an online consultation TARSHI conducted to explore the landscape of CSE, where 24 educators from various private schools in India found a safe space to come together and talk about their experiences, challenges, and strategies to address the evolving needs of young people.
Exploring the diverse concerns and questions young people have about sexuality
In our work as facilitators of sexuality education, we have noticed an increased interest in learning about identities, online safety, dating, consent, coercion, and boundaries. This curiosity reflects broader societal shifts, and the insights shared by educators from schools across India in our CSE consultation further validate these emerging concerns that students are currently grappling with.
Educators from various schools reported students’ increased interest in learning about LGBTQAI+ terminologies, with questions concerning gender identities and sexual orientation, as some of them have noticed that students are beginning to explore their identities. A counsellor in the consultation shared the following: “One of the struggles I have experienced as a counsellor is when a student comes to me and requests that I inform her class teachers to refer to her as ‘he’. She tells me that she would feel more understood if her friends and teachers started marking attendance and addressing her using pronouns like ‘him’ and ‘he’. This, as a counsellor, leaves me conflicted about what the right steps are to take for both the student and the school.” Digital safety and online dating are another area where students are looking for ways to navigate these spaces safely and require support to protect themselves from misinformation.
Body image and self-esteem issues also came up as major concerns, with students struggling with societal expectations of beauty standards, which are often exacerbated by social media. The impact of social media as one of the primary sources of information and misinformation on sexuality was repeatedly mentioned by all educators, as a space which exposed young people to diverse perspectives on sexuality.
Educators also shared that students were keen to learn how to say ‘no’ in relationships when facing an uncomfortable situation, hence indicating the importance of agency and respect in relationships. Another educator in the consultation shared that “In recent times, we’ve noticed that young children in primary grades go to the same washroom where they are exploring and touching each other.” This highlights the crucial need to have these conversations with children at an early age about understanding their bodies and distinguishing between appropriate and inappropriate behaviour.
The concerns shared by young people demonstrate the need for more inclusive and comprehensive sexuality education which goes beyond the usual topics of menstruation, puberty, peer pressure, and bullying, to not just focus on information dissemination but also on developing young people’s perspectives and skills to make informed decisions about their wellbeing.
So how are schools stepping up to address the buzz around these pressing concerns?
It is encouraging to see schools recognising the value of CSE (despite the absence of a formal curriculum) and proactively adopting diverse interventions to integrate CSE into their programmes to meet young people’s concerns related to sexuality.
In our interactions with some schools, we observed that they have welcomed progressive, multi-session workshops to introduce CSE to early grades, focusing on strengthening the students’ understanding of sexuality. This incremental approach is useful in introducing students to sensitive topics in a structured and meaningful way. For some, anonymous Q&A platforms have worked as an important tool for students to share their questions and concerns on sexuality confidentially. Some schools also shared that TARSHI’s Red and Blue Books are effective learning materials that are accessible and age-appropriate.
There is also a growing adoption of teacher training programmes on CSE and sessions with parents to build their capacity for not only addressing their discomfort with sexuality-related topics but also to build their skills to effectively tackle these concerns in a pleasure-affirming manner.
Over the last few years, more schools are seeing the value in adopting child safety policies and creating codes of conduct for safeguarding students and their wellbeing. This means that it is crucial for teachers to be equipped to navigate issues of sexuality and wellbeing, which are integral to implementing child safety policies in school settings.
The online consultation also created a space for teachers to share some best practices they have been implementing in recent times. One on one conversations with parents, appointing community champions within the parent groups to nudge conversations on CSE, strengthening teachers’ capacities to use storytelling as a medium to talk about sexuality, and creating a space where senior school students can hold sessions for teachers on gender and sexuality were some examples of best practices that participants shared during the consultation.
Where’s the gap?
As participants from the online consultation were sharing best practices for providing CSE in schools, we felt that there was an increased buy-in among educators to have conversations on sexuality with students, especially to keep pace with the diversity in young people’s experiences, identities, and access to sexuality-related information and perspectives.
“Then, where’s the gap? What’s holding educators back from initiating conversations on sexuality beyond the lens of safety and menstruation?” As the TARSHI team was pondering upon these questions, the next phase of the consultation unpacked the struggles educators were facing to navigate newer realities of young people, especially in the age of misinformation and disinformation on social media platforms. Three prominent challenges emerged:
1. Getting other stakeholders ‘on board’:
Most participants shared their concerns about getting parents ‘on board’ for having a space in schools to talk about sexuality. Some shared instances of backlash from parents because of their own biases and discomfort around sexuality education. While parents are comfortable with conversations around safety and consent, topics such as gender and sexual identities, relationships, pleasure, and sexual health are discouraged as they think this is not aligned with their values or might lead to young people experimenting. All participants agreed that parents are critical stakeholders and must be involved in creating a space where young people receive accurate and reliable information on sexuality.
2. Hesitation, biases and ‘the hush-hush’ around these topics:
Schools intend to bring CSE to the classrooms, but who’s responsible for providing the information? Educators shared that teachers often have a lot of discomfort and hesitation to address topics beyond basic anatomy or menstruation because of their own biases as well as a lack of skills and guidance to have these conversations with young people. This pushes many schools to often invite an external or third-party organisation to hold sessions on sexuality. Participants shared that it is difficult to navigate conversations on the relevance of CSE with other teachers as they often are not on the same page regarding the goals of sexuality education and struggle with finding the right language to provide information to young people. A participant from one school mentioned how conversations with teachers on these topics are happening regularly, however, teachers often struggle to integrate these topics with the content of the subjects they teach so as to pave the way for initiating these conversations within the classroom. All participants agreed upon the need and relevance of teacher training for them to come together and learn and unlearn concepts related to gender and sexuality.
3. Safe spaces for young people to initiate conversations:
TARSHI has always emphasised the need to centre young people’s realities and experiences in schools in conversations on sexuality education. Many schools shared that young people themselves are often hesitant to discuss their concerns with teachers as they fear judgement and self-doubt. Instead, they often look up to peers or the Internet to find answers and solutions, consuming content that is misleading and/ or is not in tune with the lived realities of young people. Many young people are also struggling with their mental health and wellbeing due to the usage of social media platforms resulting in low self-esteem and body image issues. All participants emphasised the need for teachers to create a non-judgmental space in schools where young people feel comfortable approaching teachers and counsellors to ask their queries or share concerns on sexuality-related topics.
The challenges that participants spoke about echoed similar stories we have heard during our previous trainings with educators, focusing on the discomfort and hesitation educators face to engage with these topics and apply rights-based and affirmative values while providing CSE. The discussions also helped us to understand the need to work with parents to advocate for sexuality education and help schools build Safe, Inclusive and Self-Affirming (SISA) spaces for young people to openly discuss and ask questions about sexuality.
What next?
Here’s the participants’ wish list of aspects that will help them take CSE forward within their respective schools:
A lot of educators mentioned the need for resources or curricula for teachers to equip them with skills to navigate emerging challenges. Some shared the need for more conversations with teachers and parents on sexuality education and how to address these topics with young people.
Their recommendations will continue to inform TARSHI’s work. In the upcoming year, TARSHI will be releasing new resources on CSE for educators. Adapted from TARSHI’s The Orange Book and The Yellow Book, these new resources are conceptualised as practical guides to support educators in facilitating conversations on sexuality with children and young people. We are looking to create four guides that are age- and stage-differentiated. We are also planning to host training and conversational spaces with educators to equip them with tips and tools to provide CSE to young people. Along with this, we will focus on workshops with parents to address their concerns and biases about sexuality education for young people.
Here’s hoping to create spaces where the messaging around sexuality education is rights-based and self-affirming!
We would like to thank educators and counsellors from The Bluebells International, New Delhi; Delhi Public School, Srinagar; Heritage Xperiential Learning School, Gurgaon; Lancers International, Gurgaon; Raintree School, Bangalore; Ramana Vidyalaya, Chennai; Rishi Valmiki Eco School, Mumbai; Safe Schools, Chennai; Shiv Nadar School, Noida; Tagore International, New Delhi; Udaya Public School, Faizabad; Vasant Valley, New Delhi; and Yuvabharathi Public School, Coimbatore, for participating in the consultation and sharing their valuable insights.
Cover Image: Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash
