POCSO law to be included in school curriculum in Kerala
Kochi (IANS). The State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) has told the Kerala High Court that awareness about the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act, 2012 (POCSO Act) will be made part of the school curriculum from the next academic year.
The counsel for SCERT gave this information while explaining the progress in a matter before the court to assess and rectify the specific issue of cases being registered against juveniles who have inadvertently committed offenses punishable under the POCSO Act.
He told the court that text books would be prepared by experts giving due importance and sensitivity to the issue.
In a statement, he said, “It was also assured by the SCERT that awareness about POCSO will be made part of the curriculum for classes 1, 3, 5, 6, 8 and 9 positively from the academic year 2024-2025.” While for classes 2, 4, 7 and 10 it will be implemented from the academic year 2025-2026.
The court also said that after the syllabus is revised, workshops will be organized for the teachers.
During the last hearing of the matter, the court had pulled up the state government for delay in implementing its order to include content in the school curriculum for prevention of sexual abuse.
