Education Minister the Hon. Clarence Terceira revealed yesterday.

And he is opposed to such a plan going ahead without parents' support.

Health Minister the Hon. Quinton Edness last month said he was considering a plan to make condoms available in high schools -- as is the case at the Bermuda College.

This was in light of the Island's increasing statistics of teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, including AIDS.

More than half of the Island's high school principals have voiced concerns against the plan and Dr. Terceira said parents representing a broad-cross section of schools recently made it clear that they do not want condoms made available.

"I've discussed it with PTAs a couple of weeks ago,'' he said. "They were almost unanimous that Government should not be taking the place of parents' responsibility.

"There were also open discussion on what about parents who do not live up to this responsibility. And their view was to leave it us, we will get to those parents.'' Dr. Terceira said while it can be argued that making condoms available will save the lives of children who are "falling through the cracks'' or those "who are going to be promiscuous'', many things have to be taken into consideration before putting condoms in schools.

He said this included religious beliefs against the use of contraceptives.

But he pointed out that Mr. Edness threw out the idea to get feedback.

Mr. Edness said he welcomed and respected principals' views.

And he said if parents and teachers did not want condoms in schools, they should look at setting up programmes "by which they can increase higher consciousness of abstinence''.

"There are programmes that can be taught one-on-one or collectively,'' he said, adding that his Ministry will be sending samples of such programmes to schools.

Mr. Edness also pointed to the Skills for Adolescence and the Peer Counselling programmes taught in some schools as helpful.

He stressed that Government was doing its best to put out "all kinds of'' warnings about AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.

"But,'' he said, "public announcements only reach certain people.

"Talking to children in this community is a problem. We all have a responsibility to talk to them.

"However, information tells us that the role models that affect children's behaviour most are parents. So parents must talk to their children.'' Mr. Edness said this does not always happen because sometimes adults are not very well informed themselves or they are afraid to talk to youngsters.

Dr. Terceira agreed that efforts can be made to step up sex education, particularly about the importance of abstinence.

The Hon. Clarence Terceira.