Vol. 450 No. 4
106 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Education the HIV/Aids/Sex awareness programmes that are aimed at pupils in the age range of 14 to 18 years in schools under the aegis of her Department; the success or otherwise of such programmes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5257/95]
My Department, in co-operation with the Department of Health, has prepared a set of educational resource materials on HIV/AIDS for post-primary schools. These materials were disseminated to all schools in October, 1990. The purpose of the materials was to assist post-primary schools in developing education programmes on HIV/AIDS. The focus of the resource materials was on pupils in post-primary schools, including the age range mentioned in the Deputy's question. Training days for teachers on the use of the materials were held at 27 centres throughout the country. These took place during the two years following the dissemination of the resource materials. A summer school for teachers on HIV/AIDS, and on related issues, has been held each year since 1990. The summer school is supported by the Departments of Education and Health. A survey of the use of the resource materials, conducted on behalf of the two Departments by the Educational Research Centre, Drumcondra, suggests that the vast majority of post-primary schools use them and find them helpful. The feed-back from the training days and summer schools, mentioned above, supports this view.
I have decided to proceed with arrangements for the introduction into all schools of relationships and sexuality education. Schools have been requested to begin the process of developing their policies so that they may start to include relationships and sexuality education and wider aspects of social personal and health education in their curricula in the school year 1995-96. I have no doubt that, with the co-operation of school authorities, teachers and parents, all children and young people will have access to good-quality programmes in this area.
