In a major initiative aimed at protecting government school students, a new campaign to create awareness on child abuse and HIV/AIDS will soon be taken up in 62 Government schools in Coimbatore.
The district administration has joined hands with the Department of School Education and Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control Society (TANSACS) for this initiative, which has been titled ‘Connect with a cause.’
A. Gnanagowri, Chief Education Officer, told The Hindu here on Wednesday that the campaign was likely to be launched on October 10.
Trained child psychologists would be roped in through non-governmental organisations. Students of Classes VI to VIII would be sensitised to various aspects of child abuse. The students of Classes IX to XI would have sessions on child abuse and HIV/AIDS, she said.
This programme would be held in 40-minute sessions every week and would be taken up during the value education classes. This initiative would be implemented for an initial period of one month as a pilot project.
It would be scaled up based on the efficacy of its implementation, Ms. Gnanagowri added.
A consultative meeting with Headmasters of Government high and higher secondary schools, TANSACS personnel, NGO representatives and volunteers was convened here on Wednesday. Resource persons from TANSACS gave an orientation session to the Headmasters. Assistant Collector B. Gayathri Krishnan also took part in the meeting. District Collector Archana Patnaik has expressed keen interest in this project.
D. Gopalakrishnan, Programme Manager, District Programme Manager (District AIDS Prevention Control Unit (DAPCU), TANSACS, said that the HMs were provided with Information, Education, Communication (IEC) material on blood donation and HIV/AIDS.
The TANSACS personnel also gave an orientation to the HMs about the various programmes of TANSACS.
Further, he said that Red Ribbon Clubs have been formed in all the Government schools across the State. It has already trained school teachers to handle subjects such as HIV and AIDS.
