NEW DELHI: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is all set finally to change the buzz about HIV/AIDS in school corridors.

In a major drive to create awareness about HIV/AIDS and sexual health in general among school children, CBSE has decided to introduce a series of programmes on the subject as part of the Adolescence Reproduction and Sexual Health Education (ARSH) project.

Coming as it does following the drawing up of a National Action Plan by the Central Government in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) for introduction of ARSH, the programme is an attempt to prepare students against HIV/AIDS by helping them understand their body and perspective of physical, biological and emotional changes.

According to CBSE Director for Academics G.Balasubramanian, the Board is working towards achieving this by building up awareness through co-curricular activities, integrating the topic into school curriculum and developing life skills among students.

As a first step, CBSE is beginning a series of advocacy programmes for principals to ensure that the change in mind-set begins right from the top. To be conducted by CBSE in different cities across the country, the advocacy programme for principals, believes the CBSE, will not just help schools understand the problem better, but also implement the programmes effectively.

Following the advocacy programme, a training of "master" trainers will further help schools in "building an appropriate school environment for students to understand and practise'' the project objectives.

With the project looking at not just initiating a sense of self-awareness among adolescents so they can understand and manage their emotions effectively but also to "empower them with social skills'' to help them in building up a positive relationship with others, the CBSE believes the programme will help students understand the seriousness of HIV/AIDS.

Knowledge

Some of the other objectives of the programme will be to help students deal with peer pressure, avoid vulnerability to risky behaviour and help students gain knowledge about sex and reproductive health.

Exploitation

While AIDS will remain the focus of the programmes, the project will also look at educating students on how and why they need to resist sexual exploitation and violence and understand the consequence of substance abuse so they can take preventive measures.

A series of advocacy programmes for principals

The project will also educate students on how and why they need to resist sexual exploitation

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