A Class 10 textbook of Gujarat State Board have been making news for some glaring factual errors, according to a news report in The Times of India. In the chapter ‘HIV and AIDS Awareness’ of Yoga, Health and Physical Education textbook, ‘Masterbation’ (masturbation) and menstruation have been equated to a type of ‘copulation.’ It also advises youngsters who feel ‘strong sexual force’ to satiate their ‘sexual emotions’ by ‘taking shelter of menstruation.’

The textbook goes on to explain that menstruation is a safe copulation process, which can prevent HIV/AIDS and other sexual infections in youngsters. It is safe because menstruation doesn’t cause any kind of physical weakness or disease. The textbook interchanges masturbation with menstruation and hilariously goes on to explain why ‘menstruation’ is healthy since it gets rid of semen.

For those among us who truly don't know the difference between the two, menstruation is a biological process where women in their reproductive age shed the lining of their uterus every month. Masturbation, on the other hand (pun intended), involves stimulating the genitals for sexual pleasure.

When it comes to committing typos and goof-ups, Indian textbooks have always been a class apart. The educational material meant for school students have been in the news in the past for a variety of transgressions including promoting sexism, distorting historical facts and even soft-selling political and religious propaganda through the textbooks. The recently-reported ‘menstruation’ blooper makes one wonder whether the ‘experts’ consulted for the books were genuinely qualified.

Till date, sex education hasn’t indeed taken off in India due to unfounded fears that it will make the youth promiscuous. And it shows in India’s ever-increasing cases of teenage pregnancies and sexual abuse. Such glaring errors in the educational materials of the country will only add to the confusion and misinformation and have far-reaching effects. The mix up between the two words notwithstanding, the textbook also tries to promote masturbation solely as a method to relieve ‘strong sexual force’ instead of a healthy habit. It’s appalling that such archaic notions about sex still prevail and have been marketed under the guise of education.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 04, 2018 01:06 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).