New Delhi: A progressive, age-specific framework for concepts such as consent and cybersecurity, regular dialogues and workshops for parents, discussions on the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Prohibition of Child Marriages are among the suggestions made by a government-constituted expert committee that has advised implementation of adolescent education in schools and colleges in alignment with the National Education Policy (NEP).
The committee, set up in June last year pursuant to a Supreme Court order, also emphasised integrating POCSO awareness programmes with the adolescent education module, recommending introduction of the curriculum from Class 6 onwards through a graded approach. According to the committee, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) can develop the curriculum, and teachers must be trained for age-appropriate delivery of the course.
In May 2025, a Supreme Court bench led by Justice Abhay S. Oka had ordered the Centre to form an expert committee to examine issues concerning the right of privacy of adolescents engaged in consensual sexual relationships, with particular reference to POCSO. The direction urged the Centre to also consider framing a national education policy to build awareness around POCSO—a special law to protect minors from sexual abuse – and educate juveniles about the special statute that does not carve out an exception for consensual sexual relations involving minors.
The court’s order had come in an unusual case, where a victim did not want punishment for a man accused under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. The woman had left her house willingly when she was 14 years to live with the accused who was 25. On becoming an adult, the woman married the man and gave birth to a child. She did not consider the physical relations between her, when she was a minor, and an adult man as a crime.
The Calcutta High Court in 2023 acquitted the man, overturning 20-year jail term imposed on him by a special POCSO court. The state had challenged the acquittal before the top court. However, in August 2024, the top court bench led by Justice Oka had reversed the acquittal. But in May 2025, the same bench invoked its extraordinary powers under Article 142 of the Constitution to spare the man from a prison sentence.
Asking the Centre to work out a curriculum on adolescent education, the Supreme Court had said the committee that would deliberate on it should also take into account suggestions of two senior women advocates – Madhavi Divan and Liz Mathew. Both had assisted the court during the hearing of the case and highlighted how criminalisation of adolescent consensual relationships may not align with the best interest of the survivor and her dependents.
On Monday, a bench led by Justice B.V. Nagarathna perused the report and heard both Divan and Mathew on the subject. Without sharing its view, the bench adjourned the matter to hold a hearing on another day.
A 26-member committee held detailed deliberations before finalising its recommendations in December last year. Besides giving its inputs on the proposed curriculum, the panel also discussed ways to strengthen the current POCSO tracking portal maintained by the National Commission for Protection of Children (NCPCR), hold capacity-building workshops and develop standard operating procedures for POCSO cases, defining the roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders involved.
Calling for a review of the current adolescent education programs, which focus more on safety and security concerns, the expert committee said the new curriculum should fulfil the NEP’s core principles of holistic development, critical thinking, and building life skills (Jeeva Kaushal) for the 21st century.
Backing a graded-approach, the committee felt that basic concepts of safety, body parts, and hygiene, concepts such as safe-unsafe touch may be introduced from the foundational stage. The curriculum would include concepts such as gender equality, health and hygiene, cyber safety, emotional well-being and age-appropriate components of sex education. However, these concepts would be introduced at different stages between Class 6 and 12. For example, as per the committee, the concept of consent may be excluded for younger groups and introduced in a sensitive manner at a secondary stage in a medico-legal framework.
In addition to the curriculum, the committee has advocated for regular workshops for parents to underscore and sensitise them on the importance of Adolescent Education and also the POCSO Act. As per the committee such talks should be held during parent-teacher meetings in schools.
“The primary delivery of adolescent education curricula should be by trained teachers. NGOs with proven experience in child protection may be involved in capacity-building of teachers,” the report has said.
(Edited by Nardeep Singh Dahiya)
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