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Condom use to be included in school curriculum
Colombo, August 28 (Daily Mirror) - The Ministry of Health’s National STD/AIDS Control Programme has recommended integrating HIV/STI prevention measures—including condom use, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), and Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP)—into Sri Lanka’s school curriculum.
Accordingly, the National Institute of Education (NIE) is set to introduce HIV/STI prevention measures into the Grade 10 Science textbook.
The move aims to provide age-appropriate, evidence-based knowledge to students, addressing existing gaps in the current syllabus.
Consultant Venereologist Dr. Vino Dharmakulasinghe told the Daily Mirror that, at present, the Science and Health & Physical Education textbooks only mention that HIV can be prevented through “responsible sexual behaviour,” without elaborating on specific biomedical prevention methods.
“A recent review by the IEC, Advocacy, and Condom Promotion Committee of the National AIDS Council stressed that this lack of detail leaves students inadequately informed about key prevention strategies,” she said.
She further explained that findings from the 2024 Global School Health Survey (GSHS) underscored the urgency of reform. “Only 63% of students reported having heard of HIV or AIDS—a sharp decline from 77% in 2016. Similarly, the number of students taught how to avoid HIV infection in class dropped from 67.1% in 2016 to just 44.2% in 2024. Alarmingly, 4.6% of students admitted to having engaged in sexual relationships, underscoring the need for timely education.”
To address these concerns, the Health Promotion Bureau is developing a new Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) package titled Let’s Learn Life, aligned with UNESCO guidelines. Based on a bio-psychosocial model, the program is designed to equip students with age-appropriate knowledge and skills before they encounter behavioural risks. In 2024, 264 school health programs were conducted by STD clinics, reaching more than 54,000 students nationwide, Dr. Dharmakulasinghe noted.
In addition to curriculum reform, the Ministry of Education will also prioritize teacher training.
“Teachers and school counsellors are to undergo both pre-service and in-service training on HIV prevention strategies, enabling them to deliver lessons with confidence and consistency,” she added.
However, the Ministry of Education has yet to respond to these developments.
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