Kanak Hirani
I wanted to go to school but they won't take me in," says Anju (name changed).."I am ill, you know," she adds. Seven-year-old Anju, who was born HIV positive, has been refused admission to several city schools. Heads of various schools shied away from admitting a child `with a contagious disease'.
"They said that parents had stated vehemently that they would take their children out.of the school if those with HIV were admitted," saysAshok K. Rau, the executive trustee of Freedom' Foundation, a centre that rehabilitates those with HIV/AIDS. '
"Even big schools which have a policy that they cannot refuse a child who is HIV positive say they will not admit her or any other HIV positive child," he says. ``The
risk that another child is subject to, depends on the degree of supervision. One school even sent a circular to parents to ask them if they would not mind a child with
HIV being admitted to school. But they refused," says Ashok.
"We don't usually admit a student with AIDS, but that depends on the principal," says an employee at St. Francis School at Koramangala. "Though HIV' is not really contagious, it can be transmitted if a person is careless,'' he adds.
"It is easy to say that it is fine," says Sheila Basappa,'' a parent, and adds, "but I would be a little scared especially just in case the child gets hurt and my daughter comes in contact with the blood. It Is terrifying."
From a village on the border of Maharashtra and Karnataka, Anju came to Freedom Foundation, who referred her to various schools. It was to no avail. A Principal of the well-known city school, who surprisingly, did not want to be named, says that she would have no objection admitting an HIV positive child to her school, "but I would hesitate and ask parents before I take such a step," she says.
Freedom Foundation centre at Bangalore a year ago with her HIV infected mother, brother, sister and a father who is dying of AIDS. She is now one of the 32 people
who stay at the centre. We have people who have come from Sri Lanka and
Nepal staying with us," says Ashok. He adds, "Since our centre was doing quite well, the Central government said that they would fund us. But that has been put on hold for now."
Of the 32 people staying at the HIV/AIDS centre at Freedom.Foundation, six have AIDS. "Actually, there is a fine line between HIV and AIDS," says Ashok. "Some
7 hospitals don't even have the necessary infrastructure to determine the difference between the two. A baby, for example can be clearly detected to have HIV only after it
it turns two, he explains.
Anju concentrates on the pink nail polish on her fingers and lowers her voice, "I want to go back to school," she says and suddenly grins showing the gap between
herteeth. 'l like Shah Rukh Khan," she says.
Right now, Anju doesn't know how ill she is or what her illness has been caused by. She knows her father is dying. "She may live for six years or more. She began to
show symptoms like rash and coughing," says Ashok and adds, "but she seems to be getting better. Unfortunately there is no cure.
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