Claiming that several schools, which registered to participate in Scotiabank's primary school HIV/AIDS debate competition last year, dropped out because of the moot, William Clarke, president of the bank, yesterday urged more schools to get involved in the competition.

Some 295 schools registered for the competition, which is dubbed, 'Speak up! Speak Out!' but only 97 participated because some had difficulties with the moot.

The moot was 'Parents have the right to approve the relationship their children start with the same and opposite sex'.

"Right away we had people dropping out because they thought of homosexuality," Joylene Griffiths-Irving, director of public corporate and government affairs at Scotiabank, said at a press conference yesterday to announce a partnership between Scotiabank and the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC).

Debating about sex

She also noted that some schools called expressing concerns about children at that age debating about sex.

"Either they learn it at school or they are going to learn it elsewhere," Mr. Clarke told the gathering.

He noted that it was short-sighted for any school to not discuss HIV/AIDS, noting that the debate was in the interest of the nation.

He urged more schools to participate in the competition. "It is a serious indictment on teachers and students who fail to participate," Mr. Clarke said.

Meanwhile, Mr. Clarke said Scotiabank has partnered with JCDC in strengthening its strategy in the fight against HIV/AIDS. He told the gathering at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel, New Kingston, that the JCDC will now introduce a healthy lifestyle theme in the drama, music and speech categories of the JCDC school competition.

"We are particularly excited about this partnership, as we believe in artistic and cultural expressions to be dynamic media of communicating positive messages to the children and youth population," Mr. Clarke said.