African AIDS Education Fails to Change Behavior

HIV/AIDS education in sub-Saharan African schools has failed to effect behavior change despite high levels of knowledge among primary and secondary school pupils, according to researchers at the University of Sussex in Britain. The report on the epidemic's impact on the sub-Saharan education sector has criticized curriculum design and delivery of HIV/AIDS education. "The issue is that lack of time, resources and training meant that curriculum-based education as well as counseling and peer education were inadequate," said Nicola Swainson of the Center for International Education of the University of Sussex.

Carried out in Uganda, Malawi and Botswana, the study argues that the poorly trained teachers were shy to teach sex education, and others lacked commitment to teach topics in an already overcrowded and examination-driven curriculum. Among the study's findings:

• Schools offer little support for HIV/AIDS-affected children.

• There is insufficient education ministries' guidance and a lack of resources to carry out any support programs.
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• AIDS is on the increase among school children and will impact negatively on education in the region. "Economic and socio-cultural pressures that fuel unsafe sex among adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa remain as high as ever," said Paul Bennell, team leader of the study. Consequently, there is a growing concern about the risk of female pupils contracting HIV from teachers and other older men.

• There is a dramatic HIV/AIDS increase among girls ages 15 to 19 in most sub-Saharan African cities.

• By 2010, 30-40 percent of pupils in sub-Saharan Africa will be AIDS orphans, and dropout rates will be enormous.

The report recommended that schools become the focus of HIV/AIDS prevention. Ministries of education were urged to develop a professional cadre of full-time sex and family life education teachers in both primary and secondary schools, and there should be regular time-tabled lessons for this subject for all children starting from primary school. The report noted the emphasis should be combined with integration of sex education in the curriculum. "While HIV/AIDS education in schools should focus on sexual abstinence, the role of condoms in preventing infection cannot be ignored," said Bennell.

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