Program on HIV/AIDS for students this year

by L. S. A. Wedaarachchi

[email protected]
 

A program to educate students on HIV/AIDS will be launched as a joint project by the Ministries of Education and Health this year.

The aim of the project is to prevent youth from the deadly virus said Dr. Nimal Edirisingha, Director Aids Control Program, Health Ministry.

He said that classes will be conducted in Sinhala, Tamil and English from GCE Odinary Level in all schools.

US $ 900,000 has been allocated by the global fund for the project, he said. Course materials are being prepared under the Aids Control program of the Health Ministry, he said.

He said that nearly 1000 HIV positive persons have been identified in Sri Lanka and around 220 persons had died during the past 20 years.

According to the AIDS Control program around 4,000 persons infected by the virus have not been identified.

Educational and awareness campaigns conducted by the government have prevented the spread of the desease, Edirisingha said.

Education minister Susil Premajayanth said that the educational program designed by the Health Ministry has been given the highest priority as a national project.