HIV education for parents at Kurunegala School

By Chamitha Kuruppu

A special meeting will take place today at the Kurunegala School which was closed for three consecutive days following rumours a pupil was HIV positive. 

AIDS prevention unit officials, medical officials, Human Rights officials and education officials will take part in today’s meeting where they will educate the parents of 189 students of the school.  

“We are hopeful that we will be able to take a decision during the meeting,” W. Wimalawardene, Principal of the school told Daily FT on Tuesday. 

Academic activities of the school were disrupted following parents of the students taking their children away from school  enmasse.

Dr. Sisira Liyanage, Director of the National STD/AIDS Control program, Department of Health Service at the Ministry of Health said that around 50 children in Sri Lanka are HIV positive. However they assured that this child  is not HIV positive as people allege.

“According to the information we have received there is some personal dispute. This child is not HIV positive but even if this child was HIV positive nobody can prevent him studying in the school as he has the right to study,” Liyanage told Daily FT.

The death of boy’s father had been wrongly blamed on AIDs and as result mother was unable to find a school for the child although they had certificates to prove they are not infected. 

Last week education officials had instructed this school to take the boy in. However parents of the school not only pressured the mother to remove her child but threatened the teachers and principal of the school.