GOVERNMENT'S proposed HIV testing campaign at schools has been met with anger and shock.
Congress of South African Students (Cosas) say the drive is premature and can lead to suicides and depression at schools.
move, parents are worried that they were not fully consulted about the matter and still have a lot of unanswered questions.
A meeting between officials of the Department of Health, teacher unions and officials of the Department of Basic Education was held in Pietermaritzburg yesterday to discuss details of the campaign before it starts next month.
The meeting was expected to continue today and tomorrow.
The National Teachers Union (Natu) said shortly after the meeting adjourned yesterday that they had concerns about some aspects of the campaign.
The voluntary campaign is expected to be rolled out at high schools from February.
Tests will be done in private places on school premises during weekends and school holidays.
Natu deputy president Allen Thompson said they did not want pupils to be used as statistics with the intention to reach a target of the number of people tested for HIV.
"We are going to get an expert physiological view on whether a child can be able to deal with such news should they test positive," Thompson said.
Cosas yesterday said it was worried that the campaign may lead to problems including suicides if pupils tested positive and that the campaign might cause pupils to lose focus in class. Cosas president Bongani Mani said such things should not be done in schools.
Mani expressed concern that the campaign would cause problems because pupils might start to gossip.
"Even at community and family level, the country has not adequately dealt with the stigma attached. I think it is too premature to conduct voluntary testing at school level.
"You cannot expect a learner to go for such a life-changing test and then go back to class as if nothing had happened.
"Serious medical tests such as the proposed campaign should be done outside the school in appropriate surroundings. Schools are for learning and should remain so," he said.
Mahlomola Kekana of the National Association of Parents in School Governance welcomed the campaign, but expressed concern that as parents they had not been properly and fully consulted.
Proposed campaign 'could lead to pupil suicides'
GOVERNMENT'S proposed HIV testing campaign at schools has been met with anger and shock.
Congress of South African Students (Cosas) say the drive is premature and can lead to suicides and depression at schools.
move, parents are worried that they were not fully consulted about the matter and still have a lot of unanswered questions.
A meeting between officials of the Department of Health, teacher unions and officials of the Department of Basic Education was held in Pietermaritzburg yesterday to discuss details of the campaign before it starts next month.
The meeting was expected to continue today and tomorrow.
The National Teachers Union (Natu) said shortly after the meeting adjourned yesterday that they had concerns about some aspects of the campaign.
The voluntary campaign is expected to be rolled out at high schools from February.
Tests will be done in private places on school premises during weekends and school holidays.
Natu deputy president Allen Thompson said they did not want pupils to be used as statistics with the intention to reach a target of the number of people tested for HIV.
"We are going to get an expert physiological view on whether a child can be able to deal with such news should they test positive," Thompson said.
Cosas yesterday said it was worried that the campaign may lead to problems including suicides if pupils tested positive and that the campaign might cause pupils to lose focus in class. Cosas president Bongani Mani said such things should not be done in schools.
Mani expressed concern that the campaign would cause problems because pupils might start to gossip.
"Even at community and family level, the country has not adequately dealt with the stigma attached. I think it is too premature to conduct voluntary testing at school level.
"You cannot expect a learner to go for such a life-changing test and then go back to class as if nothing had happened.
"Serious medical tests such as the proposed campaign should be done outside the school in appropriate surroundings. Schools are for learning and should remain so," he said.
Mahlomola Kekana of the National Association of Parents in School Governance welcomed the campaign, but expressed concern that as parents they had not been properly and fully consulted.
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