Mumbai District AIDS control Society (MDACS) in association with the Maharashtra State Education department is soon going to launch a programme on self sex education targeting students from the public schools in Mumbai. MDACS has already identified around 50 government run schools in the city to initiate the programme which is aimed at sensitising the students on basic sex education to reduce the risk of HIV infection among them.

This programme will be initially launched in around 50 public schools in Mumbai for the students from standard IX and X. The course will have16 sessions in one year with about 30 to 40 minutes class everyday. MDACS has already initiated the training of the teachers so that they can impart the subject more elaborately among the students.

This programme is expected to be implemented in the curriculum from June this year. According to Vinitha Venkatraman, joint director, MDACS, “We are in the final stages of understanding with the education department on this project and are looking forward to initiate it at the earliest. We are happy that the government is supportive of this as it will play a vital role in educating the students on ways to avoid a situation that may lead to HIV infection.”

At present, though the number of incidence of HIV cases in the city has come down, a newer trend shows an alarming rise in HIV among youngsters.

Dr Harish Pathak, additional project director, MDACS, informed, “We are making efforts to do our level best to lift the ban implied by the government in the state so that we can contribute more in educating the youngsters on sex education. Unfortunately, today due to the ban we have to impart the knowledge through life skill eduction which covers only a fraction of the same. It is high time the government takes a stance on this case as it is the future of the country at risk due to ignorance of this issue.”

He further informed that last year they had initiated sex eduction programme in some private schools in the city as  they were outside the preview of the ban. MDACS also has a successful programme running in colleges within the city called red cross club which conducts programme to educate students on sex education and ways that will help in preventing HIV and AIDS among youngsters.

The Government of Maharashtra has banned sex education in the state due to  pressure from some political parties. However NACO has given the authority to MDACS to co-ordinate with the education system in the state to conduct such programmes to ensure sensitisation of safe sex methods so as to prevent the incidence of HIV and AIDS in the city.