HYDERABAD: Standing up against a class of 50 giggling kids, even the most stoic teacher would find it difficult to explain the vast difference sex education would make in stopping the spread of AIDS.

More than 40 per cent of the teachers who are taking sex education classes in schools as part of a statewide anti-Aids initiative are reporting back that it is not as easy as the birds and the bees.

Most of them are unable to shed their own inhibitions. Faced with this problem, the AP Aids Control Society (APSACS), which runs the Aids Prevention and Education Programme, has found a way out this year: men will teach boys and women girls.

The society has trained nearly 25,000 teachers. They are sent to schools other than the ones in which they are employed to teach sex education classes. The teachers have found that the pupils are not at all demure about asking searching questions, some of which would leave sailors let alone teachers blush.

APSACS project director K Damayanti told The Times of India that woman teachers in particular reported that they felt 'delicate' about questions posed by boys. Based on teachers' experience of the last two years, Damayanti decided to switch strategies to a same-sex teaching mode,which will begin this monthend.

There is one other reason why the authorities decided to make the switch: there have been some isolated complaints about some male teachers' behaviour with girl students. One case of misbehaviour was reported from Krishna district.