XN000022-1994-10-28 — Page 15

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 1994

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AIDS EDUCATION IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS

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A

THE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND PUBLICITY ON AIDS HAS MADE SERIES OF RECOMMENDATIONS ON AIDS EDUCATION IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS BASED ON THE FINDINGS OF A RECENT STUDY IT CONDUCTED.

ANNOUNCING THE FINDINGS OF THE STUDY ON LOCAL AIDS EDUCATION PROGRAMMES AT A PRESS CONFERENCE TODAY (FRIDAY), THE CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMITTEE, MISS CARLYE TSUI, SAID THE RECOMMENDATIONS HAD BEEN SUBMITTED TO THE ADVISORY COUNCIL ON AIDS APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNOR.

MISS TSUI SAID MANY STUDENTS DID NOT SEE CONDOM AS AN EFFECTIVE MEANS FOR PROTECTION AGAINST AIDS BUT THEIR PERCEPTION OF THE EFFICACY OF CONDOM IN AIDS MUST BE RECTIFIED.

SHE SAID FUTURE AIDS EDUCATION SHOULD BE INTEGRATED WITH SEX EDUCATION AS FINDINGS INDICATED THAT STUDENTS COULD NOT BE ASSUMED ΤΟ BE SEXUALLY INACTIVE.

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ATTITUDES

NOTING THAT PEER INFLUENCE ON STUDENTS' PERCEPTION, BEHAVIOURS WAS STRONG, MISS TSUI SAID STUDENTS SHOULD BE TAUGHT THE SKILL TO REFUSE SEX AND THE VALUE FOR INDIVIDUAL CHOICE AGAINST THE PRESSURE FOR CONFORMITY.

ON THE ATTITUDES OF EDUCATORS, SHE SAID BOTH PRINCIPALS AND TEACHERS AGREED THAT TEACHING ON AIDS WAS NECESSARY.

MISS TSUI STRESSED THAT TEACHERS' TRAINING SHOULD BE ENHANCED ΤΟ COPE WITH THE NEW ORIENTATION OF AIDS EDUCATION SINCE STUDY FINDINGS SHOWED THAT MANY TEACHERS WERE NOT CONFIDENT IN TEACHING THE SUBJECT.

THE SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED BY THE CENTRE FOR CLINICAL TRIALS EPIDEMIOLOGICAL RESEARCH OF THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG THE COMMITTEE.

ALSO

SPEAKING AT THE PRESS CONFERENCE, COMMITTEE MEMBER DIRECTOR OF THE CENTRE, DR JOSEPH LAU, EXPLAINED THAT THE STUDY CARRIED OUT IN TWO PHASES FROM LAST OCTOBER TO MARCH THIS YEAR.

DR

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FOR

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LAU SAID 98 OUT OF 150 SECONDARY SCHOOL PRINCIPALS AND 870 TEACHERS FROM 50 SCHOOLS RESPONDED TO THE QUESTIONNAIRES OF THE FIRST- PHASE STUDY.

THE SECOND PHASE FOCUSED ON STUDENTS' KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIOUR AND 1,182 SECONDARY FOUR TO SIX STUDENTS FROM 12 RANDOMLY SELECTED SCHOOLS COMPLETED THE QUESTIONNAIRES.

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