Dating and relationships are not easy to handle, especially for teenagers who are experiencing new emotions and feelings. In India, many children do not have open communication with their parents about these topics, and they often rely on the internet or their peers for guidance, which may not be trustworthy. Therefore, it is important that families and schools take the responsibility of educating them about what healthy relationships look like and how to avoid unhealthy ones. The CBSE has taken a commendable step in this direction by introducing Value Education books for class 9 students. These books have chapters that focus on the various aspects of dating and relationships, and also explain common dating terms like ‘ghosting’, ‘catfishing’, and ‘cyberbullying’. The books use simple stories and examples to illustrate concepts like crushes and ‘special’ friendships.
The pictures from the book were posted on X (formerly Twitter) by user @nashpatee, who captioned it as ‘9th class textbooks nowadays’.
The internet users were impressed by the book and praised CBSE for bringing such relevant and essential chapters for the students. Tinder India also chimed in and suggested that maybe there should be a chapter on how to deal with breakups. One user said, ‘Please send me the book, I want to read the whole chapter.’ Another said, ‘This is amazing. We were not even allowed to be friends with boys in those days.’ A third said, ‘I think it’s a good initiative. It’s the internet era, kids are exposed to a lot of things. Teaching teens how to ‘understand’ themselves and their partners will help them in the long term. Maybe we will finally break free from toxic cycles.’ A fourth said, ‘This is really great. This is the kind of growth we want to see in the Indian Education System.’ A fifth said, ‘I think it’s a positive thing, I just hope the teachers are actually teaching these things and not ignoring them like the reproduction chapters.’ A sixth said, ‘Good. This is needed. Many teenage suicides, depression, and substance abuse are happening in India because of confused love emotions.’ Another one said, ‘I think this is the most suitable way to teach teens how to avoid, choose, and navigate relationships in their lives. Dating/ marriage/ relationships/ divorces/ love/heartbreaks are all part of life and teens should know every aspect of each before entering their 20s.’
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