NCERT is taking numerous steps in order to update the curriculum which is being taught to the students in all the schools where the NCERT books and syllabus is prescribed. Beginning with the changes which have been brought about in the NCERT textbooks for Classes 6th to 12th, the National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT) is now set to revise the books even for the younger age group of the students.
The decision to implement changes for the younger children in the NCERT books has been formulated following a study which was conducted by the students of the medical stream belonging to the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (MGIMS) in the year 2016.
NCERT To Label Genitals in Books For Young Children
The study conducted by the MGIMS in context of the child sexual abuse has been submitted to the Prime Minister, Union HRD Minister as well as the Maharastra Education Minister. As per the study, adequate education is not available to make students aware of child sexual abuse and therefore, the decision to identify the genitals of both the genders under the topic of the human body system is taken up.
The National Council of Education Research and Training books of Classes 1 and 2 include the human body system but keep the genital area covered for both the genders. An idea to label the genitals is initiated and the proposal to implement the same is soon to be made active.
NCERT Takes Steps Against Child Sexual Abuse
As per the case study which was conducted, various doctor teams of the MGIMS have felt that when a case of sexual abuse involving a minor comes, the child is unable to name or term the body parts in order to give a description to the crime happened. Therefore, a need to make the children aware about the genitals right from the beginning at an early age is pretty important and National Council of Education Research and Training has decided to make students read about it through textbooks.
A proposal in front of the textbook development committee is yet to be raised in context to the labelling of the genitals in the NCERT books for younger children which will finally be decided and revised as required by the committee.