Women teach sex education to girls in madarssa

WINDS OF CHANGE: With HIV on the rise, the madarssa has taken upon itself to spread awareness on the issue.

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Patna: With the number of HIV-infected-cases on a steep rise in the subcontinent, a madarssa in Bihar has taken it upon itself to spread much-needed awareness on the issue.

The madarssa in Bihar's Kishanganj district has introduced sex education for girls, probably a first for any madarssa in the country. It's a bold initiative to spread awareness about AIDS.

Teacher Ajra Begum explains the difficulties of providing sex education in a Muslim society, “It’s not an easy task and especially in a Muslim society where girls are not usually allowed to go out of the house much hence people in the area are against it.

The session on sex education covers changes during puberty and ways to stay away from sexually transmitted diseases. The students say men are against their attending these classes.

Student Arsia Neelam says, “ The men are against sex education, and don’t want us to attend the classes but we feel that awareness is important especially since there have been many cases in our village of HIV.”

Apart from resistance by parents at home, even Muslim clerics are gearing up to curb this practice.

Head, Imarte Sharia Mohd Syed Nizamuddin is against sex education in the madrasa he says, “Providing sex education in a madarssa or school is wrong.”

Despite such strident opposition the madarssa is attracting students and is a shining example for the rest of the country to follow.