Teaching the teachers

Statesman News Service

MALDA,(India) Dec. 2. - While textbooks on life-style are gathering dust since the last two months after their distribution to all the schools in Malda, the district inspector in charge of the schools is, however, uncertain over its implementation.

Of late they have organised the workshop to “teach the teachers” how to deal with this new curriculum which targets the adolescent students to learn about sexual enlightenment.

The authorities have organised workshop from 26 November to 19 December in different circles in the district.

However, the officials of the education department are not confident about implementation in this academic session.

“Within two months the final examination of the schools will begin. Moreover the teachers are not interested in taking up the new ‘burden’ of teaching”, said a secondary teacher.

Worse, teachers of the co-educational schools are particularly laconic to take up the ‘embarrassing’ issues to their students.

“Physical changes of an adolescent boy can hardly be discussed in presence of girls and vis a vis”, said another senior secondary teacher .

If the urban boys are much enlightened regarding the possible misuse of sex, in rural areas the problem is greater.

It may be recalled that state government had introduced the sex-education after a long deliberation consulting the retired teachers having a view to the rising crisis of Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) in the country. Even the presence of HIV virus among the teenagers rang an alarm. #

Posted on Dec 3 , 2005 at 08.55 am ( IST)