New materials for HIV/Aids education |05 March 2007
These additional resources include posters and a booklet in Creole entitled Piberte,
The booklet contains illustrations and the scientific names in both English and Creole of body parts important in the sexual development of an adolescent and the posters provide detailed information about HIV/Aids including its modes of transmission.
The materials, which are aimed at helping to end misconceptions on the pandemic amongst the pupils, were produced by a team of PSE teachers in collaboration with the Ministry of Health who had been working on the publications since last year. The Ministry of Health printed the materials.
One of the PSE teachers who contributed to the writing of the booklet, Barbara Carolus-André of the National Institute of Education (NIE), said that it contains the most appropriate names for the body parts instead of nicknames that are often used and which may always not be appropriate.
It was the director general for Community Health, Helene Nicette who presented the posters and books to the director general for schools, Merina Delcy.
In a short address, Mrs Nicette said that children need to learn about consequences of sexual irresponsibility early to help them stay away from such danger.
“These resources should help you to better impart knowledge and information to your pupils,” she said to the teachers present at the handover ceremony.
As she accepted the educational materials from Mrs Nicette, Mrs Delcy said that she acknowledges and appreciates the collaboration between the two ministries.
“The increase in the number of HIV/Aids cases that are being detected is alarming, which means that sensitization should start at an early age,” she added.
Before the ceremony, Colette Servina, the Aids programme manager in the Ministry of Health, gave a briefing on the current situation of HIV/Aids in Seychelles and she also talked about the role that teachers can play in HIV prevention.
In her presentation, Mrs Servina announced that since the first case of HIV/Aids was detected in 1987 there has been a constant increase in the number of infections. According to the statistics the most common mode of infection is sex, whether it is heterosexual, homosexual or bisexual sex.
She said that as educators of young people, teachers have an important role to play in breaking the silence that surrounds HIV/Aids. They should also be the ones who encourage young people to adopt safe sex practices because sometimes this important information is not being given at home.