Kerala: Discrimination of children living with HIV/AIDS continues

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17th JUL 11:10 hrs IST

NGO objects to conditional school admission of HIV kids

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Kannur: A local voluntary organisation has objected to the

conditional admission of two HIV infected children into the Swamy

Narayana Lower Primary School at Kottiyoor near here.

Director of the Jeevana Samskriti J.J. Pallath, who raised the issue

of the school admission for Akshara and her brother Ananthu,

criticised the conditions put forward by the parents and the local

people, saying it was 'inhuman and shameful' to the people belonging

to the most educated state.

Stating that the organisation would hold a protest meeting of the

civic community here tomorrow, he said it would be the beginning of

creating an awareness-building drive against discrimination of HIV-

infected, particularly children.

All civic and cultural leaders as well as leaders of all political

parties and officials from Kerala State AIDS Control Society and

Health and Education Department would participate in tomorrow's

meeting, he claimed.

Pallath said the time had come for right thinking people to come out

in the open against the stigma heaped on the HIV-infected people.

The fear about other school children contracting the virus

was 'irrational,' he said.

After a meeting with the parent-teacher associations and other local

people in the presence of Kottiyoor Panchayat President K.J. ph,

the District Educational Officer registered the names of the two

children in the school with some conditions put forth by the locals.

They demanded that the government appoint a special teacher for the

two children and arrangements should be made at least 500 metres

away from the school premises to teach them. The children should

also not be allowed to write the examination in the school, they

said.

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