Govt schools to spread AIDS message

[Guest guest]

Govt schools to spread AIDS message

The Times of India 27 August 2001, New Delhi.

NEW DELHI: The Delhi government will target schoolchildren to check the

spreading menace of AIDS. Initially, the School Aids Education Programme

will be implemented in 450 government schools at the secondary and senior

secondary level.

The programme was inaugurated by health minister A K Walia on Saturday.

The government's Delhi State Aids Control Society is also involving

voluntary agencies and the Institute of Paediatricians in the programme.

The awareness programme will include orientation workshops for principals

and teachers, debates, group discussions, essay writing, poster making,

and film shows for students. The government will also train selected

teachers as counsellors.

The government has also initiated talks with the National Council for

Educational Research and Training to introduce AIDS awareness in the school

curriculum. Workshop participants pointed out that the awareness programme would

have a limited impact if the content is not included in the curriculum. " More

than 50 per cent of Delhi's population lives in slums. It is a difficult task to

spread awareness, " Walia said. Schoolchildren, he added, had proved to be

effective in the anti-cracker and anti-polybag campaigns.

The government plans to cover all schools over a span of five years.

Delhi education deputy director (capital) V K Sharma said Delhi government

was financing the programme from its state budget. The main objective of

the School Aids Awareness Programme was to increase knowledge about HIV.

_______________________

Dr. Jagdish Harsh

Assistant Director

François-Xavier Bagnoud (INDIA)

161, Satya Niketan, Moti Bagh-II

New Delhi-110 021, INDIA

Phone: +91.11.611 1793-94; Fax: +91.11.410 7381

E-mail: fxbindia@...; Web: http://www.fxb.org/india.htm

_______________________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Dear Forum members,

The Kurji Holy Family Hospital, Patna, Bihar with the

support of Bihar State Aids Control society too has

launched a similar venture on July 21,2001, albiet on

a smaller scale.There are plans to expand this

programme to cover the maximum number of schools.the

response to this programme for the students has been

tremendous.

I totally agree with the suggestion that

AIDS awareness should be made a permanent part of the

curriculum. what is essential is finding the right

kind of people to spread this message as very often

the school students are reluctant to discuss these

isues in front of their own school teachers.

Vandana Nair

Kurji Holy Family Hospital

Patna, Bihar

E-mail: nair_vandana@...