CASTRIES, St Lucia (CMC):

School principals in St Lucia are opposed to the introduction of condoms in schools and have snubbed the idea of a national debate on the issue, even though the education minister says he favours such a debate.

The St Lucia AIDS Action Foundation has called for the debate on the distribution of condoms in schools because of what it says is the documented sexual activity taking place, even among pre-teenagers.

But the head of the National Principals' Association, Edward Cepal, has been questioning the rationale for such an initiative.

"Are you telling the students that it would be okay to have sex after school? We think that the fact that condoms are available everywhere at several shops and health centres, if sexual intercourse is taking place outside of school hours then there is every opportunity for them to get access to condoms. But if you are now going to distribute condoms at school, what would then be the rationale?" asked the association president.

He also warned that condom distribution in schools would serve to promote sexual activity at those institutions.

Condom use is being advocated here as part of a public campaign which aims to halt the spread of HIV/AIDS.

In the ABC campaign, the C stands for condom use, which is advanced as a means of having safe sex, the A being abstinence, and B, being faithful to one partner.

While welcoming calls for a national debate on the issue, St Lucia's Education Minister Arsene James observes that there should be no move to distribute condoms in schools until parents are afforded their say in the matter.

"We can't give the go-ahead until the matter has been discussed with parents and the public at large, because parents may not want condoms to be distributed to their children and we at the Ministry of Education must be very careful that we don't sanction this unless we have had discussions and consultations.

"Only then we can adopt a firm position and say what our situation will be. Whether we are going to support or say that, based on what parents have said, we think that task should be left to the parents," James said.