<p>A proposal from the Karnataka State AIDS Prevention Society (KSAPS) to set up a full-fledged Integrated Counselling and Testing Centre (ICTC) on the Jnana Bharathi Campus is pending with BU.<br /><br />Nayana Rani of KSAPS, who sent the proposal in August 2009, however, said BU was taking ‘too long’ to respond.<br /><br />While BU is ahead of all universities in South India in setting up a Centre for Psychological Counselling, which trains HIV/AIDS counsellors, it also has a one-shot opportunity to have an ICTC, established at only two other universities in the country. <br /><br />The university is among the 41 institutions across India which have set up centres to train HIV/AIDS counsellors. <br /><br />In 2008, BU became the only sub-recipient South Indian university of the five-year project, sponsored by Global Fund, Geneva, under a public partnership model to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS.<br /><br />These centres not only build the capacity of counsellors but also teach them how to go about their job. They conduct refresher programmes to update counsellors' knowledge in a field that witnesses new findings every so often. According to sources, the proposal is aimed at instilling a sense of social responsibility in the universities. <br /><br />"Besides academics, it is time they also take up social causes like prevention of HIV/AIDS as NGOs cannot carry on the burden for too long," an official said. <br /><br />No financial burden<br /><br />The proposal will not burn a hole in BU's pockets as all the expenses - from providing personnel to offering equipment - will be borne by Karnataka State AIDS Prevention Society. <br /><br />The need for setting up such a centre is also affirmed by the proximity of high-risk localities to BU. BU will approve the proposal once it gets free from routine academic work, sources added.<br /></p>
<p>A proposal from the Karnataka State AIDS Prevention Society (KSAPS) to set up a full-fledged Integrated Counselling and Testing Centre (ICTC) on the Jnana Bharathi Campus is pending with BU.<br /><br />Nayana Rani of KSAPS, who sent the proposal in August 2009, however, said BU was taking ‘too long’ to respond.<br /><br />While BU is ahead of all universities in South India in setting up a Centre for Psychological Counselling, which trains HIV/AIDS counsellors, it also has a one-shot opportunity to have an ICTC, established at only two other universities in the country. <br /><br />The university is among the 41 institutions across India which have set up centres to train HIV/AIDS counsellors. <br /><br />In 2008, BU became the only sub-recipient South Indian university of the five-year project, sponsored by Global Fund, Geneva, under a public partnership model to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS.<br /><br />These centres not only build the capacity of counsellors but also teach them how to go about their job. They conduct refresher programmes to update counsellors' knowledge in a field that witnesses new findings every so often. According to sources, the proposal is aimed at instilling a sense of social responsibility in the universities. <br /><br />"Besides academics, it is time they also take up social causes like prevention of HIV/AIDS as NGOs cannot carry on the burden for too long," an official said. <br /><br />No financial burden<br /><br />The proposal will not burn a hole in BU's pockets as all the expenses - from providing personnel to offering equipment - will be borne by Karnataka State AIDS Prevention Society. <br /><br />The need for setting up such a centre is also affirmed by the proximity of high-risk localities to BU. BU will approve the proposal once it gets free from routine academic work, sources added.<br /></p>
