Department of Education’s HIV/AIDS Strategy

Presentation to the Education Portfolio

Committee

28 August 2001

Background

• Core business is to educate, build skills and inculcate values necessary for a vibrant democratic SA

• Response to HIV/AIDS is based on what we are best placed to do

• The opportunity to turn epidemic around

• We have a captive audience

• Priority of all priorities

Programme 1

• Two pronged approach

• HIV/AIDS and the Education system

• HIV/AIDS and the beneficiaries/people within the system

HIV/AIDS & the System

• Need to protect the system to ensure continued supply and demand of education

• Develop tools and planning models to facilitate analysis and understanding of the impact

• Align legislation, policies, strategies

• Improve monitoring and evaluation systems

• Establish dedicated capacity to deal with HIV/AIDS – HIV/AIDS Unit, strengthen HIV/AIDS management at national and provincial levels

HIV/AIDS & the curriculum

• “HIV/AIDS and Life skills” is curriculum policy as per new curriculum 2005, implemented in Grade 1-9

• Resume of Instructional programmes in public schools Report 550 (NATED 550) provides for Guidance, Health Education as compulsory offerings from Grade 10-12

• Government’s conditional grant to address HIV/AIDS within the curriculum as part of an integrated approach with Depts. Of Health and Social Development

• All provincial DoEs have funded business plans to implement this programme

HIV/AIDS & curriculum

• Strengthen implementation of Life skills and HIV/AIDS programme within curriculum

• Integrate HIV/AIDS across the curriculum and provide guidelines for educators

• Develop programmes for Early Childhood Education and Learners with special needs

• Work with SAUVCA to develop and implement HIV/AIDS programmes in Higher Education institutions

• Support the inclusion of HIV/AIDS into pre-service training by tertiary institutions

HIV/AIDS and learners

• Establish an identification and support system for learners in distress &/ orphaned

• Facilitate access to services through the integrated approach

• Communicate SA schools Act and HIV/AIDS policy and their application to teachers

• Develop guidelines for educators to assist with this

• Promote school as a center of support and hope for communities

HIV/AIDS at work

• HIV/AIDS policy for CS Educators

• HIV/AIDS policy for Public Servants

• Workplace programme developed and adapted for schools as a workplace

• Programme includes preventive & promotive education, care, support, counseling & management training

• Involvement of educators living with HIV/AIDS

Progress

• All nine provinces are implementing the curriculum-based HIV/AIDS programme

• Implementation of this programme needs to be strengthened

• Enforcement of national policies e.g teacher-learner sexual relations, HIV/AIDS,rights of learners under Schools Act.

• Workplace policy and programme guideline

• Higher Education programme developed and implementation to begin

Other initiatives

• Peer education to strengthen curriculum based initiatives

• Inclusion of Sexuality and Life skills Education into sports and ball games

• Strengthening of partnerships with CBOs, NGOs and other government Departments

Conclusion

• HIV/AIDS dictates non-traditional, “out of the box” responses

• Need to attack from all angles• Integrated, comprehensive approach seems to be

the way forward