SC Seeks Response From Centre, NCERT Over Petition Demanding Transgender-Inclusive School Textbooks

The Supreme Court on Monday sought responses from the Centre, NCERT and six states, including Maharashtra, on a PIL seeking the incorporation of transgender-inclusive comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) in school curricula.

A bench comprising Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran noted the submissions of senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, who represented the petitioner, and issued notices to the respondents asking for their replies within eight weeks.

Aside from the Centre and National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), petitioner Kaavya Mukherjee Saha made Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka as parties to the petition.

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The PIL filed by Saha, a Class XII student, urged the incorporation of transgender-inclusive CSE in school curricula and textbooks prepared by the NCERT and State Councils of Educational Research and Training (SCERT).

The plea said the NCERT and most SCERTs have failed to comply with the top court's binding directions in the NALSA v. Union of India case. Despite statutory obligations under Sections 2(d) and 13 of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, the councils allegedly neglected to integrate structured and examinable content on gender identity, gender diversity and the distinction between sex and gender into school syllabi.

Textbook reviews conducted across Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka reportedly revealed systemic omissions, with Kerala being a partial exception.

The exclusion, it said, not only violates fundamental rights like the right to equality but also undermines the Directive Principles of State Policy.

The International Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education, published by UNESCO and the WHO, provides a globally accepted framework for CSE, it added.

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The plea sought a direction to the authorities to incorporate "scientifically accurate, age-appropriate" and transgender-inclusive CSE into examinable school syllabi nationwide.
It also sought a direction to frame binding guidelines ensuring effective implementation of gender sensitisation and transgender-inclusive sexuality education across all public and private educational institutions in India.

(Note: Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by The Daily Jagran and has been published through a syndicated feed. Source - PTI)