5/17/2018 Family Life Education in India - slidepdf.com

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/family-life-education-in-india 1/4

 

Some Observations on Family Life Education in India

Author(s): Grace S. ForbesReviewed work(s):Source: Marriage and Family Living, Vol. 25, No. 4 (Nov., 1963), pp. 466-468Published by: National Council on Family RelationsStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/349047 .

Accessed: 27/04/2012 22:40

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of 

content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new formsof scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.

 National Council on Family Relations is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to

 Marriage and Family Living.

http://www.jstor.org

5/17/2018 Family Life Education in India - slidepdf.com

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/family-life-education-in-india 2/4

 

Some Observations on Family LifeEducation in India

GRACE S. FORBESSan Jose State

CollegeFAMILY LIFE Educationwith its biologicalimplications is not generally accepted in In-dia as an appropriate ubject to be taught inthe schools and colleges. As far as known, thisfield of instructionis, therefore, not reflectedin the curriculumof any of the teacherscol-

leges.In the primaryschools (ages 6-11), refer-

ences to sex phenomenaare avoided because tis not envisioned that children of this ageshould ask questions about these matters.

One prominent educator said, when askedwhat was done when children inquired aboutthe origin of babies,"In India, childrensimplydo not ask such questions;but if such a thingshouldoccur,the answerswould comefrom the

parents, or possibly from older children." Inco-educational schools at the primary level,however, sometimesquestions indirectlyrefer-

ring to sex maybe broughtup, such as the im-

portanceof giving girls an equal opportunityfor an educationas boys, or some other matterof sociological significance.It must be remem-bered that India's

societyis

man-centered, ndthat only those persons who live in cities, orwho have otherwise come in contactwith west-ern culture,are likely to be prepared o acceptgirls and women on the basis of social and ed-ucationalequality.

In junior high schools (ages 11-14), and inteacherscolleges preparingprospective eachersfor these institutions,direct instruction in the

meaningof menstruation nd the otherchangesaccompanyingadolescence s not generally in-cluded in the curriculum,althoughsome mate-rial tangentialto this phase of human growth

and development may be introduced in Hy-giene or in Home Science.

In the higher secondaryschools, and in the"degree colleges" for prospective teachers,FamilyLife Educationhas largerareasof refer-ence in EducationalPsychology, especially inMental Health; in Home Science, in Growthand Development,and in Mothercraft;n Gen-eral Science; and in Biology. But there is noinstructionin the physiology of reproduction,sex relationships,the responsibilitiesof mar-riageand parenthoodand otherimportantmat-ters includedin

FamilyLife Education. n fact,

in all of India today, instruction n FamilyLifeEducation s confined to the curriculumof the

Departmentsof Social, Preventive,and FamilyMedicine n the sixty-fourmedicalcolleges.

These are the present conditions, but theyhave begun to be modified in the group ofteacherscolleges and higher secondaryschoolsincluded in this field study. In these institu-tions, administratorsnd teachersarebeginningto understand hat educationfor marriageandfamily living is essential for age group 14-17

because of the all-out effort India is preparingto make for population control under theFamily Planning program during the nexttwenty years.The basis for this program,froma long rangeviewpoint,will have to be laid inthe schools in a comprehensive system ofFamily Life Education. The principles of theFamily Planning program in India must betaught in the secondaryschools because theproblem of over-populationdemands instruc-tion at all educationaland social levels to en-sure its success. It is particularlymportantto

bring FamilyLife

Education, ncluding the ru-dimentsof familyplanning,into the curriculumof the higher secondaryschools becausemanyof these young people are about to be marriedandshouldbe made awareof the responsibilitiesthey aregoing to have to face. One of the prin-ciples interviewed said, "If family planningfails in India today,everythingelse fails." An-other principalsaid, "There are many teacherswho are not willing, or emotionally able, tohandle this subject today becauseteacherscol-leges simplyhave not faced the issue, and havenot brought this material into the curricu-

lum. It should be taught in an appropriatemannerin the syllabuson Hygiene." Still an-other principal remarked that he would wel-come an opportunityto introducethe subjectof the physiology of reproductionand familyplanning into his curriculum,but the teachersnow lack the time to teachit. "Onlywhen theStateputs the subjectinto their curriculum anit be taught," he stated. To date, it thus ap-pears that Family Planning, with its appro-priatebackgroundof family life education,hasnot been introduced nto the curriculumof theteachers

collegesin India. There seems to be

MARRIAGEAND FAMILY LIVING66 November, 1963

5/17/2018 Family Life Education in India - slidepdf.com

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/family-life-education-in-india 3/4

 

only one teacherscollege,a rural nstitute n theStateof Bombay,to which this is an exception.In this institution,FamilyPlanningis placedinthe syllabus n CommunityDevelopment.

The problem of sex education and familyliving is rather different in rural and urbanareas. In the

country,childrencome in contact

with the reproductive rocessesof farmanimalsand understand how fertilization and birthprocessesoccur.In cities, childrendo not havea similaropportunity o observenature in op-eration.

City children, however, usually come toknow their parents better. It is customary orthe familyto eat together n urban ife, whereasin rural life this is seldom done. In the agri-cultural areas of India, although men andwomen work side by side in the fields, the liv-ing quarters or the malesmaybe locatedapart

from those occupiedby the females.Theremaybe a women's wing and a men's wing, withlittle communication etweenthem; or the menmayoccupyentirelyseparatequarters.When thefamily is at leisure, women seldom have anopportunity o sit down face to face with themen in discussingmatters of general interest.At meal time, the men eat first; women takewhat is left after the men have eaten. Under-standingof family life, therefore,variesgreatlyin urbanand ruralcenters.

But Family Life Education,that is, instruc-tion in the

responsibilitiesof

marriageand

family living, is graduallybecomingrecognizedas a necessityin the curriculumdevelopmentof the schools of India, and the teachers col-leges arenow contemplatinghe additionof thissubject to their educationalprogram.There issome differenceof opinion, however, about itsproper relationship to other subjects of thecurriculum.Some educators n the teacherscol-leges feel that FamilyLife Education hould beincorporated nto the syllabusfor CommunityDevelopment in rural areas,but there appearsto be rather general agreement that it most

properlybelongs in the distinctsubjectareaofhealth education in the curriculumof urbanschools.

There has been some experimentationn thisfield.A few universitieshave carriedout a proj-ect in which a series of lectureswere given onFamily Life Education.The physiology of re-production,sexual adjustment n marriage, hemonths before birth, principlesof growth anddevelopment,and the control of reproductionwere discussed.The studentsacceptedthis in-struction n a maturemannerand expressedaninterest n havingthe lectureseriescontinued.

Young people of India are now facing prob-lems of marriageand family living with whichthey have not previouslybeen conversant.Duelargelyto acculturationwith the West, mattersof sex roles, the wise choice of a marriagepart-ner, the negativeattitudeson the partof parentstoward inter-racialand inter-cultural

marriage,the problemof sexual maladjustmentn marri-age, family health, and the limitation in thenumber of children-these questions are nowcroppingup. In one college it was said that thelargestamountof time of the Principal s nowdevotedto counselingand guidance in mattersof this sort.

Arrangedmarriagesare still dependeduponfor stabilityof the Indianfamily, but the prob-lem of maladjustmentn marriage s now be-coming recognized.Formerlythe wife simplyacceptedas her "karma"or fate whateverdif-

ficulties she might encounterin the marriage.There was no other way out. As women havebecome educated,however, they have becomeacquainted with western customs and theirviewpoint has changed.Indeed, India has nowpassed a divorce law to help couples who areunableto solve theirmaritalproblemseitherbythemselves,or with the help of the counsel ofelders in the family group. Divorce is availableto those who have found their marriageun-workable.

The conditionsunder which the divorce canbe

obtained,however,are

clearly defined,and

strictly interpreted:adultery,cruelty, and dis-eases such as leprosyor intractablemental dis-ease arethe chief legalgrounds or divorce.

The first organizationin India to sponsorsex educationwas the All India Moral and So-cial Hygiene Association.This associationhasa long and distinguishedrecordin the field ofsocialreform.It was founded by KeshabChan-der Sen, who led the movement for improve-ment in the statusof women. Formerly he As-sociation devoted its major efforts toward op-posing prostitutionand traffic n women; more

recently it has been promoting sex educationand education for family living in Indianschools.Otherorganizationshave sharedin thetask of sensitizing the people of India to theneed for FamilyPlanning.

The foundationwork for the introductionofFamilyLife Education nto the schoolsand col-leges has thus been laid in these variouswaysin India. It is now includedin the new syllabiin health education for schools and trainingcolleges soon to be introduced nto the curricu-lum. These syllabi are the work of the JointCommittee of the Ministries of Health and

MARRIAGEAND FAMILY LIVINGovember, 1963 467

5/17/2018 Family Life Education in India - slidepdf.com

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/family-life-education-in-india 4/4

 

Education in cooperation with the WorldHealth Organization.They are now ready intentative form. The syllabusfor ages 6-11 foruse in the primaryschools is said to be readyfor editing and printing, while further de-

velopment of the two other syllabi for juniorhigh schools, ages 11-14, and higher second-

ary schools, ages 14-17, will be needed. Whatis now required o get this program nto actionseems to be (1) a trainingprogram n healtheducation or the teacherswho are to teachthis

subject; (2) the provisionof guide books andsuitable textbooks; (3) community supportthroughparent-teacherrganizations; 4) much

promotionalwork at all levels in both ruralandurbanareasin the matter of good health hab-its; (5) sensitizationof the populationto the

urgency of educationfor family living as an

appropriatebasis for the program in family

planning and population control; (6) accele-rateddevelopmentof massmedia,especiallyed-

ucationaltelevision; (7) greateremphasis oncommunicationand coordinationbetween theStates'Departmentsof Educationand the Com-

munity Development Blocks with the trainingcollegesfor teachers.

This reportis basedon the studiesmade bythe authorduringthe springof 1962 while on

sabbatical eave from San Jose State College.She is greatly indebted to her sponsors andto the host institutions or the manyconferencesand courtesiesof this study tour. She is espe-cially indebted to Mr. J. P. Naik and Smt.V. Mulayof the Ministryof Education,Govern-ment of India, and to Dr. Moye FreymannandDr. Dorothy Nyswanderof the Ford Founda-tion, who made it possible for her to visit thesites. This reporthas relied mainly on confer-ences held with administratorsand facultymembersof training colleges for teachers,and

with leadersof other educational institutions

in the Statesof UttarPradeshandthePunjab.

is meaningfulforall ages with

these devotions

I-,.C

THE FAMILYWORSHIP SERIES

Whateverhe age of yourchil-

dren,youwill inda book nthisseriesjust rightfor yourhome

worship. God ndYourFamily,"by Lois Vogel(a pastor'swifewithfouryoungsters),s forusewith childrenunder9; "God'sWonderfulWorld f Words," y

CharlesMueller,s for use withchildren-13;"DesignorFamilyLiving,"y RoyBlumhorst,s in-tended orteen-agers;nd "New

CourageorDailyLiving,"yMar-tin Franzmann,s an inspiringcollectionoradults.

Each, $1o0

3558 S. JEFFERSON ST. LOUIS,MO. 63118

MARRIAGEAND FAMILY LIVING November, 196368