Kerala: Barred HIV-positive kids allowed back to school

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Barred HIV-positive kids allowed back to school in India

by Jeemon

A school in southern India allowed a group of HIV-positive children

back to class Monday after a six-month battle that has highlighted

the stigma suffered by the country's AIDS sufferers.

The Christian-affiliated school in the southern coastal state of

Kerala, reputed to be one of the country's most progressive areas,

had thrown out five children last December following complaints by

the parents of other pupils.

Three of the five were infected with HIV, the virus that can lead to

AIDS, and the expulsion prompted intervention by the state

government. All five children -- one boy and four girls aged between

five and 11 -- were back in class on Monday, and relieved a part of

their ordeal was over.

" We all love to go to school and study with our friends, " said nine-

year-old Jyoti, one of the children who had been shut out.

The school -- which has 65 students on its roll -- relented this

month after the state government threatened to withdraw its permit to

operate.

Authorities at the school insisted teachers were ready to accommodate

the children, but added they would face an uphill struggle to

convince the other parents.

" They didn't listen to our reasoning as a majority of the parents are

ill-educated and poor, " said headmistress Elsamma Mani.

During the ban, the children continued their studies at a non-profit

home for the destitute and were able to sit for annual tests.

" They learn their lessons very fast and I enjoyed teaching them, "

said Annie Mathew, who taught them at the Asha Kiran (Ray of Hope)

home, where 15 women with HIV and eight children live.

India, with a population of 1.1 billion, has 5.7 million people

infected with HIV -- the world's highest in absolute numbers per

country.

Officials said this month that under new data being compiled, the

number of HIV-positive could be as low as 3.4 million.

Social activists welcomed the school's climb-down, but said the case

merely served as a reminder of continued widespread discrimination.

" Though Kerala claims 100 per cent literacy, social discrimination

against people with HIV is more evident in the state, " said P.B.

Bindu, secretary of Kerala Positive Women Network.

Bindu said nearly 2,000 women and 1,000 children living with HIV were

facing social alienation in the state, among a handful of India's 29

states to claim 100 literacy rates.

In 2004, two children were shut out of another Kerala school after

they were found to be HIV-positive.

" Even today, the attitude of society has not changed much. It's a

shame for all, " Bindu said.

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