HIV affected children attends school

Kottayam, Jun 18 (UNI) Six HIV positive children started attending regular class after a gap of six months at the MDLP School Pampady today, thanks to the firm stand taken by the State Education Department and the AIDS Control Society.

The Asha Kiran, which shelter such children, decided to send then to the school following an assurance from the AIDS Control Society and State Education Department.

AIDS Control Society Project Director Dr Dinesh Arora directed the Asha Kiran management to send the children to the school through a fax message on Monday. Because of holiday due to outbreak Chikungunya, the children could not attend classes last week. The controversy over these children attending regular classes with other children started last year when the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) of Mar Dionysious Lower Primary School (MDLPS) objected to it.

Following the PTA's objection, the school authorities denied permission to the children to attend classes in December last.

Later, the Asha Kiran authorities engaged special teachers to teach the children and they appeared for the annual examination in the school, as their names were not removed from the register.

This year the school authorities expressed their inability to admit the children, as the PTA was adamant and strongly opposed to their entry.

Two of the children each were studying in the first and second standard and one each in third and fourth standard.

P C Yohannan Ramban, the founder of Asha Kiran, was grateful to the School's PTA and the authorities for giving permission to the children to attend the classes.

He expressed his gratitude to the state government and the AIDS control society for giving necessary instructions to the School.

Asha Kiran works for rehabilitation of HIV affected children and mothers. At present, there were eight children and five mothers in the Centre from different parts of the state and outside areas as well.

UNI