Gender studies will soon be taught in schools: Pallam Raju

KOCHI: Gender sensitization and respect towards woman will soon be taught in schools. Union human resource development minister M M Pallam Raju said here on Sunday that he would talk to NCERT to include these aspects in the national curriculum framework.
This comes amid rising concern that the crimes against women are increasing in the country due to lack of respect for women.
“This should become an integral part of our growing up and I believe that a society that has no basis for such values is as good as a dead society,” said Raju. He said he would try to bring in aspects of gender sensitization, respect towards woman and value education within the national curriculum framework.
“When we were growing up, our role models were our parents and teachers. But today kids are exposed to television, their peers and technology and so there are multiple inputs infringing on a child’s mind. So it becomes all the more important to focus on gender sensitization and values either through the school system or through institutional system like the NCC,” he said.
Raju said experts would have to decide the age from which students could be taught gender sensitivity and values in schools.
He also asked University Grants Commission to ensure a safer university campus for women. “I have asked the UGC chairman to write to all universities to bring in stronger practices and adopt zero tolerance towards inappropriate behaviour towards women, besides emphasizing on gender sensitization and making the campuses safer for women,” he added.