Education Minister Andrew Mulenga said in a statement Monday that "the distribution of condoms to young boys and girls could, instead of protecting them from HIV/AIDS, encourage them to engage in premature sex," Mulenga said.

Zambia is one of the southern African countries badly affected by the disease with an estimated one in five adults believed to be HIV-positive.

Anti-AIDS activists and non-governmental organisations which had been distributing condoms to school pupils immediately denounced the move.

"We can't continue living in denial. We need to protect the young from this deadly disease," said Nkandu Luo, a former health minister turned AIDS activist.

TERRA.WIRE