AIDS education resource materials for post-primary schools have been developed by my Department in conjunction with the Department of Health. The costs have been shared between the Departments. These materials have been provided to all post-primary schools free of charge. The design and printing costs of these materials have been borne by the Department of Health. During the years 1989, 1990 and 1991 my Department have allocated approximately £11,000 towards the cost of in-service days for teachers in relation to the development of the materials and their subsequent use in addition to the cost of substitution where necessary.
As I have mentioned, in-service days for teachers have been and are being held throughout the country on the use of the materials. In all 17 such seminars will be held by the end of this school year. A one-week summer school for teachers on drugs and AIDS will be organised this summer and further in-service days will be organised during the next school year.
To date about half of the post-primary schools in the country have been covered by the seminars and the indications from the schools are that all of them are making full use of the resource materials in developing their education programmes on AIDS.
I am satisfied from the reaction to the seminars that post-primary schools in general are using the materials.