Let's walk the talk. It's too easy to blame the Government, or the school management or the parents of those children in Rivona who refused to let HIV kids be admitted into their school. It's too easy to criticize from a distance. What if it was the school where my child studied? How would the parents have reacted? How would I have reacted?
Here's what I suggest. Let each of us parents, wherever we are in Goa, request our school PTA to have a special meeting with a single point agenda. Asking each parent, "Are you open to admitting children with HIV into this school?". I know there will not be a unanimous 'YES' in any school. No problem. We then approach the Government, and the Education Department and Human Rights organizations to have education and sensitization programs for our parents. We allay everyone's fears till we can reach an unanimous decision, even if it takes weeks. Each school PTA then sends their now 'informed' decision to the Education Department. HIV is not going anywhere in a hurry. The problem will re-occur in some other school tomorrow. Let us be prepared to welcome these kids after we have been made to understand that there is no problem with their presence. Let what happened in Rivona never happen again. If you are a parent in Goa please contact your school PTA and ask them to call this Special Meeting. If you are not a parent in Goa please share this so that a Goan parent will see it and do the right thing. For our kids, and their kids! ================
