PCF5: Using Educational Media for HIV/AIDS Awareness and Training to School Students in India: Innovative Strategies

Abstract
by Pradeep Misra

The UN termed HIV/AIDS as one of the biggest global concern and adopted halting and reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS as one of its MDG’s. According to UNAIDS, 33.2 million HIV/AIDS infected people exist world wide. The most tragic aspect about AIDS is that half of the infected victims are in the most productive age group of 15-24. Unfortunately, HIV/AIDS has no cure and experts suggest that prevention through education is best approach to fight HIV/ AIDS. They further agree that education to cure, control and prevent AIDS must begin before young people initiate sexual activity. Thus, there is increasing consensus around the world about the need of AIDS education for school students (adolescents) because they have more chances to get infected by HIV virus. Providing HIV/AIDS knowledge and development of attitudes and skills that can limit the spread and impact of the epidemic among adolescents in age group of 10-19 years accounting for 22.8% of the population (230 million) of India is a major challenge. Majority of this age group is studying in schools (primary, middle and secondary level).

Present paper offers possible solutions to face this challenge by adopting the approach that “‘established educational media in India namely Print, Radio and Television plus relatively emerging one like Internet enabled computer and Mobile telephony can be of immense help to aware and train school students about HIV/AIDS”. Following the principle that educational actions on targeted group (school students) are most effective when reinforced by complimentary educational provision aimed at other people who have an influence on the target group (parents/teachers), a whole-community approach has been adopted for proposed strategies. The paper discusses in detail about the possibilities and strategies for using these educational media for providing HIV/AIDS awareness and training to school students and their parents/ teachers in India.

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