Sri Lanka’s education system is about to get a dose of awkward honesty, as condoms, PrEP, and PEP make their way into school textbooks. After years of vague “responsible behavior” slogans, officials now admit students are dangerously underinformed and the stats prove it.
The National STD/AIDS Control Program under the Ministry of Health has recommended the inclusion of clear HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STI) prevention methods in the school curriculum, with a focus on condoms, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). This decision was reinforced during the National AIDS Committee meeting on July 25.
Following the recommendation, the National Institute of Education (NIE) will add HIV and STI prevention methods to the Grade 10 science textbook. The goal is to provide students with accurate, age-appropriate, and science-based information that goes beyond moral slogans.
Dr. Vino Dharmakulasinghe pointed out that the current textbooks only vaguely mention “responsible sexual behavior” without offering biomedical prevention details. “A recent review by the IEC, Advocacy, and Condom Promotion Committee of the National AIDS Council revealed that this gap leaves students uninformed and unprotected,” she explained.
The urgency is backed by hard numbers from the 2024 Global School Health Survey (GSHS). The survey found only 63% of students had even heard of HIV or AIDS, down from 77% in 2016. Classroom lessons on prevention dropped from 67.1% in 2016 to just 44.2% in 2024, while 4.6% of students admitted to having had sexual intercourse. Officials argue these figures demand immediate educational reform.
As part of the response, the Health Promotion Bureau has rolled out “Let’s Learn Life,” a new comprehensive sex education program designed according to UNESCO guidelines and based on a biopsychosocial model. The program seeks to equip children with knowledge and skills before they are exposed to risk. In 2024 alone, STD clinics conducted 264 school health programs, reaching over 54,000 students.
Alongside curriculum changes, the Ministry of Education will prioritize training teachers and school counselors in HIV prevention methods to ensure lessons are taught with confidence and consistency. However, the Ministry has yet to issue an official response to these new measures.
