AIDS campaign to become part of school curriculum

AIDS campaign to become part of school curriculum

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia extended its AIDS campaign yesterday
to schools in the hope of raising young people's awareness of the
deadly virus and how they can curb its spread.

Minister of Education and Culture Wardiman Djojonegoro said
the HIV/AIDS campaign would be incorporated into the school's
curriculum and extracurricular activities.

He said the campaign, which would include information about
the virus and ways to prevent it, would target fifth graders in
elementary schools upward to universities.

"The campaign is not sex education, but it gives information
about the danger of HIV/AIDS. Many people do not know about it,
so they should be informed," said Wardiman after launching the
campaign at the Ministry of Education and Culture.

He said the AIDS campaign was aimed at increasing teenagers'
awareness so that they would be able to protect themselves and
avoid high-risk behavior such as promiscuity.

The launch of the program yesterday marked World AIDS Day. The
minister is the chairman of this year's commemoration.

There were 39.6 million of students from elementary schools to
universities across Indonesia, according to the 1996 statistics.

Indonesia began commemorating World AIDS Day last month by
holding seminars.

In Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi, hundreds of high schools and
vocational school students signed their names on a giant banner
placed at the governor's office yesterday in support of the
HIV/AIDS campaign in the province, Antara reported yesterday.

They expressed their commitment to helping curb the spread of
HIV/AIDS in their region after they attended a dialog with
Governor La Ode Kaimoeddin yesterday.

The 100-meter long banner was later displayed in front of the
governor's office.

Fatmawati, a 16-year-old student from SMU 2 high school of
Kendari municipality, said that closing unregistered
entertainment places such as discotheques and brothels, was one
way of preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS.

She also suggested that seminars on HIV/AIDS and the religious
approach would help inform the public.

Over the weekend, three ministers signed a first-day postage
stamp and telephone card dedicated to the AIDS campaign in
Bintaro, Tangerang regency, West Java.

State Minister of Population Haryono Suyono, Minister of
Tourism and Telecommunications Joop Ave and Wardiman also signed
an envelope containing President Soeharto's appeal for Indonesian
families to strengthen their faith in order to build their
"resistance" of adverse social elements.

Haryono said the resistance, based on religious and moral
ethics, would be an effective tool in preventing the spread of
HIV/AIDS. (09)

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