Q. I have seen some religious heads strongly objecting to the idea of sex education in schools. Don't you think that introducing sex education will benefit the younger generation by making them more aware of their bodies and sexuality, and the dangers associated with handling them improperly, thus, helping them avoid future mistakes due to lack of proper awareness on the subject matter. Especially, in our Indian society, where frank discussions on sexual topics are considered taboo, is it not the duty of responsible elders like parents, teachers, etc., to educate young children on the subject matter rather than children receiving wrong and inadequate information from outside untrusted or misinformed sources?

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A: First of all, do you know that despite properly planned sex education in schools, the unfortunate fallout of this flawed policy is 'teenage pregnancy, a major problem that the Western world is facing today? In a damage control exercise, the concerned authorities have gone into overdrive to contain this steadily growing menace.

Instead of creating awareness of negative effects of mishandling this natural urge, such exposures only seem to be giving vulnerable boys and girls scope for prematurely attempting to satisfy their curiosity and succumb to the frailties of flesh at too early a stage in life, the repercussions of which will make it too difficult for them to tackle in the latter part of their lives.

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In India, such topics are no more considered as taboo. In fact, all types of education from piano manufacture to bomb making are available from Google and the Internet, thanks to the pervasive IT industry. I may sound too archaic but the undeniable fact is that one should be properly trained in Krishna Consciousness in the very formative stage of life - kaumara acharet prajno, that is, from the age of one to five. No other type of man-made education can create any meaningful impact on the young minds and produce the desired results.