Further, the government has decided to set up adolescent-friendly health clinics in the neighbourhood of schools for counselling students and for providing curative services for their sex-related problems. Children aged 10-19 years could walk in for counselling on sex-related health issues to the adolescent-friendly health clinics where a doctor-cum-counsellor would be present to allay their fears and misconceptions about sex.

Replies to their queries in the drop-in boxes would be forwarded to the clinics and relayed back to the students at special sessions, assemblies or classroom chats while guarding their identity, according to Dr Rashmi of the state Health Department who is coordinating the setting up of these clinics in the state.

While the issue of introducing sex-education through the course curricula has been mired in controversy throughout the country, the Punjab government feels these steps would encourage students to come out with their problems related to physical and emotional growth during the teen years.

A major component of the exercise is encouraging students, through the school managements, to walk in to their nearest health clinics. The clinics will advise students on sex-related issues, contraceptive pills, teenage pregnancies, safe methods of termination, menstrual disorders and sexually-transmitted diseases.