No condoms in schools says teachers

Zimbabwe teachers have vowed not to allow condom distribution in schools, as that will be child abuse.

The National Aids Council (NAC) recently said it was proposing amendments to a number of laws that could see the distribution of condoms at schools as a way of fighting the HIV/Aids scourge.NAC said there were bringing out a view on what they had found out in their survey and what the general public felt would be the panacea to the spread of the HIV virus.

Addressing journalists in Bulawayo during the Zimbabwe Teachers Association (ZIMTA) annual conference chief executive officer Sifiso Ndlovu said teachers are against the distribution of condoms in schools.

"You can't introduce condoms in schools; there is no way we can allow 10 to 12 year - olds to have sex. This will confuse the mental and physical development of our children. These kids don't know much about their bodies yet and you want to confuse them further by allowing them to engage in sex," said Ndlovu.

Ndlovu added: "As educationists there is no way we can allow the distribution of condoms in schools".

If  Zimbabwe allows the distribution of condoms in schools it will be following on the footsteps of South Africa which in 2007 introduced the Children's Act that gives children who are 12 years and above the right to access condoms.

Zimbabwe used to be one of the worst affected by HIV/Aids in the world although transmission rates have been declining in the last few years.

Researchers say fear of infection and mass social change have driven a huge decline in HIV rates in Zimbabwe  offering important lessons on how to fight the Aids epidemic to the rest of Africa.