Naveen Nair and Reghu Raj, Thiruvanthapuram/Kottayam: The five HIV positive children in Pampady in Kerala’s Kottayam district seem to be finally heading back to school.

An assurance to allow them back in class was given by the school and the Parent Teachers' Association in the Kerala High Court on Friday.

Almost 90 per cent of the parents of healthy children approved the measure.

“Right from the beginning we wanted these children to get justice. But we wanted that to happen in the right way. We did not want the children to get discriminated. We have no problems in getting them admitted,” says PTA President, MDLP School, M R Raju.

The school says it had always wanted an amicable settlement of the issue.

Says principal, MDLP School, Elsamma, “They have been coming from the first and we are very happy to have them back as other parents also don’t seem to have any problems now. It’s the media that unnecessarily blew this out of proportions.”

The High Court settlement came after a Thiruvanthapuram-based NGO filed a PIL on the contentious matter.

The court has directed the NGO to monitor progress on the promise made by the school and parents.

After all, it's not just a case relating to these five children, it’s about discrimination and the larger battle against AIDS itself.