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Since the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, more
than 60 million people have been infected with the disease. In 2001 alone, 5 million people were infected with HIV,
bringing the total of infected individuals worldwide to 40 million.
Of these 40 million individuals, more
than 95 percent live in developing countries and about one-third are
15-24 years of age.
HIV/AIDS and
Education
HIV/AIDS is having a devastating impact on the
education systems in countries hardest hit by the disease. AIDS is
killing teachers faster than new ones can be trained, and teachers are
often too sick to teach. Children
are losing their parents and support structures that allow them and urge
them to go to school.
Education
must play a key role in the effort to reduce the spread and impact of
the disease. Education,
however, must encompass not only preventative education for school
children, but must also include literacy training and non-formal methods
for the basic education of adults and out-of-school youth.
A general, basic education itself has a preventative impact,
providing an individual with:
In addition to ensuring basic education for all,
specific information about the spread and prevention of HIV/AIDS must be
included in Adult Literacy and Non Formal Education programs. Acquisition of literacy skills is critical so that
individuals can communicate and understand current information about
HIV/AIDS. Adult Literacy
and Non Formal Education programs should incorporate the following
strategies into their curricula:
-
integrating
reproductive health and sexual education into the program on a
regular basis;
-
Training
and empowerment of caregivers who ensure the safety and well-being
of children
-
greater
reliance on education by peers from within and outside the program;
-
capitalizing
on the resources inherent in persons living with HIV/AIDS;
-
comprehensive
re-orientation and re-training of teachers and teacher educators;
-
establishing
linkages with critical support services, especially in health areas.
References
-
New! "Soucebook
of HIV/AIDS Prevention Programs". 2003
The Sourcebook was developed in response to
requests from educators in affected countries for more information
on promising prevention programs already implemented in Africa. The Sourcebook documents 13 education based
HIV/AIDS prevention programs targeting children and youth from 7
sub-Saharan African countries, using a standard format that
highlights the main elements of the programs and makes it easier to
compare them with each other. It is sponsored by UNAIDS, UNICEF,
UNESCO, UNFPA, DFID, USAID, Ireland Aid and the World Bank. The
Sourcebook represents the work of many contributors (acknowledged in
the book), and was developed by the Partnership for Child
Development with the World Bank, with principal support from Ireland
Aid.
- Coombe, C. (2001). Rethinking Some
of Our Perceptions About HIV/AIDS and Education. Paper prepared
for Southern African Development Community (SADC) meeting on
HIV/AIDs and Education, University of Pretoria, Faculty of
Education, 26-28 February.
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