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9
(c) Head teachers made other suggestions such as another
meeting to be held on a two-hourly basis for children of lower
intelligence and powers of concentration.
Venereal Disease
In July a memorandum was received by all Local Authorities
from the Ministry of Health stating that "the continued rise in
the incidence of venereal disease, particularly among the young,
has been giving cause for increasing concern". With this in
mind, the Health Education Officer found it was possible to
introduce the facts simply and clearly and to discuss them
thoroughly during one of the lessons on "human Relationships" at
the end of the Community Health Course in one Girls' Secondary
School and one Boys' Secondary School. It was interesting to
observe that these facts were quite unknown to all the children
except a few boys who had been well instructed by their Youth
Club Leaders.
The second opportunity for introducing the facts about
Venereal Disease into the Community was found during the talks
to Mothers on "Growing Girls" in the Junior Schools. They asked
for information about Venereal Disease because their children
had noticed the posters displayed in public lavatories and were
asking questions about them which they were unable to answer.
The "syphillis and Gonorrhoea" leaflets published by the Central
Council for Health Education were also given to these mothers,
the majority of whom would discuss the subject with their
husbands and so help to spread the information.
Miscellaneous
During the year talks and lectures were also given to
Portland, Oval and All Saints Parent Teacher Associations,
Pairchildes Senior Girls School's "Past and Present Society",the
Pre-nursing Course at Croydon Technical College and Coloma
Teachers' Training College.
The kindness and co-operation of the staff in all the
schools has once again made this year's work - so much of it
experimental - a most enjoyable experience and it is hoped that
1952 will be a year of confirmation and consolidation of the
work begun and still produce opportunities for widening this
aspect of general education.