The Minister of State In Charge of Basic, Secondary and Girl-Child Education, Ms Christine Churcher has advised the youth to desist from engaging in pre-marital sex.
She explained that, total abstinence from sex was the most effective way of avoiding contracting the HIV.
Ms Churcher gave the advice in a speech read on her behalf at a symposium organised by the Green Earth Organisation (GEO), a non-governmental organisation (NGO) at Aburi for more than 2,000 students from 20 second-cycle schools in the Eastern Region at the weekend.
She advised those, who had started sexual activity to stop and commit themselves to abstaining from sex.
Ms Churcher urged the participants to read more about the HIV/AIDS to get all the necessary facts and to consider any other person HIV positive in order to take the necessary precautions to continue to stay HIV negative.
Mr Rex Baah Ntiri, Eastern Regional Counsellor of Ghana Education Service (GES), said the message on the use of condoms, as a protection against the contraction of the HIV virus was not directed at students.
He explained that, the use of condoms was meant for marriage couples as a method for family planning and protection against Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI).
Mr Ntiri said sex was not meant for students hence any education that encouraged students to use condoms as a protection against the HIV virus was misplaced since the right thing for students was to abstain from sex and be faithful to themselves.
He advised female students to emphatically say no when anybody made any sexual approach to them and to walk away from the scene to protect themselves from falling into any sexual trap.
Mr. S. N. Quaye, Deputy Eastern Regional Director of Education, reminded the students that they were the future leaders of the country hence it was the responsibility of society to protect them from the HIV.
Mr Joshua Awuku-Appau, Director of Information and Education of the GEO, said the symposium was to sensitise the youth to be aware of the dangers around them.
He said as a conservation organisation, GEO felt the need to protect humanity as a first step in the conservation of other resources.
Source: GhanaWeb
