Objective: This study was conducted as part of a course on Human Sexuality and Adolescence for school children to ascertain the prior knowledge of children, source of their knowledge and whether the course was a felt need of the children.
Method: Students were given a questionnaire before the course. Few selected questions were asked again after the last session. The course was conducted in a private co-educational English medium school in urban Bangalore involving 392 students 13-15 years of age. The course was designed by the authors and dealt with anatomy, physiology, social and psychological aspects of growing up, HIV and contraception.
Results: 55-70% of class VIII, IX and X students had learnt about sex from friends, 30% from movies, 15% from text books and only 10% from parents. Misconceptions about anatomy, childbirth, HIV were common. 90% of tenth class students felt that education in human sexuality was necessary.
Conclusion: In spite of chapters on reproduction in textbooks, children turn to peers or media to gather information on sexuality. Education in human sexuality is required in our schools, as this need is currently not being addressed adequately in our society.