Caste and Gender as significant social cleavages in Indian society
Caste and gender are the deepest social cleavages in our society.
The intersection of these two social identities plays havoc with the lives of adolescents/young adults in Indian schools and colleges.
There are frequent reports in the media on the caste conflicts among adolescents/young adults as well as consensual sexual relationships between adolescents/young adults of different castes inviting criminal penalties and action.
Education about social change and sexuality are closely related.
Training young minds in critical thinking and social justice is essential to address this issue and to create a healthy society.
Role of education in fostering responsibility and compassion among children
It is hard to create well-functioning democratic institutions based on equal rights for everyone.
In the name of celebrating tradition, an emphasis on racial purity and a protection of cultural values only leads to the majority/powerful being dominant and aggressive towards the weak.
Electoral democracy encourages and establishes affirmative action of distributing opportunities for the depressed communities.
Caste and Gender has little effect on destabilising unequal social codes and discrimination in practice.
The state as an organisation reflects the structure of society and thus makes the rights of the depressed difficult to realise.
The idea of citizenship in a democratic society demands the empathetic understanding of the lives of fellow citizens and critical thinking about one’s own life.
Enhancing empathetic understanding of others in a modern society that contains many divisions is the only hope of sustaining democratic institutions.
Education for critical thinking requires challenging our own lives, beliefs and faith and how they affect the lives of others in a complex world.
This is what education is supposed to aim and achieve.
Role of teachers in promoting social justice education
Teachers are vital in enabling social justice education.
Teachers should understand and accept that social justice education is essential for a well-functioning democracy.
Teacher absenteeism, blaming children for a lack of learning potential, discouraging children and physically abusing them are all outcomes of this lack of faith in social justice education.
If a teacher realises his/her agency in democratic education, then the teacher finds suitable pedagogy to teach social justice.
This is because society is the workshop, and the academic material, the guiding path.
Significance of sexual education in social justice education
Sexual education is also an important aspect of social justice education.
Sexual education prepares students to respect gender identities and interpersonal relationships.
The importance of consent in sexual intercourse and a respect for personal boundaries, as well as the ability to stop perpetrators of sexual abuse are important aspects of sexuality education.
The Calcutta High Court said that children have a right to access sexual education and sexual and reproductive health services.
Research has shown that sexual education delays the time of the first sexual intercourse, reduces its frequency and curbs sexual abuse and risky sexual behaviour.
Sexual education trains students to understand the social constructs of gender and to respect others’ sexual preferences.
In this perspective it has a social justice content as boys and girls treat each other with respect and also develop a deeper understanding of other gender identities (LGBTQA+).
Sexual education in school will transform gender relationships at home and in society, and will be the most desirable outcome.
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