New Delhi: A day after suggesting banning sex education in his “vision” document for Delhi schools, Union health minister Harsh Vardhan on Friday dismissed reports that he has proposed such a ban, stating that as a medical professional, he “whole-heartedly supported pedagogy” that is “scientific and culturally acceptable”.
His remarks were severely criticised by the Congress and others. “We have been receiving various gems of wisdom from our health minister on sex education and other issues. I don’t know which school teaches vulgar sex education,” said Congress leader Randip Surjewala.
Dr Harsh Vardhan, who had few days back stir up a controversy by suggesting that to prevent Aids fidelity in marriage was better than use of condoms, asserted the views expressed on his website in this regard was entirely his own.
He said he made these views in the context of the UPA government’s 2007 decision to introduce Adolescence Education Programme in its original form.
“Anything abrasive to common sensibilities and articulated as such by responsible persons should be discarded and replaced by consensually accepted learning processes,” he said.
Dr Vardhan said that value-based school learning processes are common in all countries and he had intended implementing such a format in Delhi’s schools.
