“Sexuality education is a double edge-sword…”: a qualitative study on perceptions of school teachers on sexual and reproductive health of adolescent girls in Eastern India

Case Studies & Research
2025
p. 1-13
Periodical title
Reproductive Health, 22, 145 (2025)

Adolescent girls in India face numerous challenges related to their sexual and reproductive health (SRH), including inadequate knowledge, early marriages, teenage pregnancies, unsafe abortions and sexually transmitted infections (STI). Given that most adolescent girls attend school, and teachers interact closely with them, the current study was conducted to explore schoolteachers’ perceptions of adolescent girls’ SRH. The study revealed significant issues, such as poor knowledge and menstrual hygiene practices among schoolgirls and, curriculum gaps that exclude essential topics like puberty, menstrual hygiene, and safe sex. In the study, teachers reported parental misbeliefs like restricting girls from taking exams during menstruation. The study also reveals a lack of teacher training on adolescent SRH. Poor awareness among teachers and parents about existing adolescent health services, lack of communication between students and parents, early marriages are common, and misutilization of social media. The study recommends overhauling existing SRH education and strengthening adolescent SRH services.

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