Whiteman THERE HAS been no further word on a Ministry of Education policy introduced last year to guide schools on how to interact with students living with or affected by HIV/AIDS.
Dr. Deloris Brissett, head of the Ministry's Guidance and Counselling Unit, explained on Tuesday that the guidelines on the management of HIV/AIDS, which were developed within the last quarter of 2000, were still with the Attorney-General's Department.
Early last month, Dr. Brissett told The Gleaner that the Ministry of Education was hoping to hear from the Attorney General's Department, in order to disseminate the information to schools. At least two schools have reportedly sent students home because they have HIV/AIDS or have been affected by it.
Efforts to get a response from the Attorney-General's Depart-ment proved futile as The Gleaner was told that the person handling the file was reluctant to discuss the matter.
On February 5, an informal survey carried out by The Gleaner showed that Jamaican schools have no written policies to deal with students who are affected by or are suffering from HIV/AIDS.
The Ministries of Health and Education and Culture have urged school principals, administrators and teachers not to discriminate against students infected with HIV/AIDS. "The Government's position, which I think is very much in line with the Jamaican Constitution, is that no child, once discovered to have the condition, should be ostracised and isolated from the wider school community," Senator Whiteman said.
The University of the West Indies (UWI) has now joined its education colleagues and is currently reviewing efforts already made at UWI to help to prevent the spread of the infection.
UWI has also disclosed plans to develop a proposal which will help increase its role in regional efforts to control and prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.
