LESSON 19
The Role of the School and the Teacher

After completing this lesson you will be able to

• state the role of the school in HIV/AIDS education; and

• describe the role the teacher should play in HIV/AIDS education.

Why are Schools Important?

Many young people cannot talk about AIDS either at home or in the community. Nor can they talk about the risk behaviours that can lead to HIV infection. They may feel equally uncomfortable talking to their parents, and their parents in turn may also be embarrassed or lack the confidence to discuss the subject with their children. However, most young people do attend school at some point, and school is an entry point where these topics can be addressed. The potential strengths of a school setting are that children there have a curriculum, teachers, and a peer group. And school can teach them not only information, but also skills. School can also help to shape attitudes.

Despite the desirability of AIDS education in schools, there are a number of obstacles which often stand in the way. Some countries have no policies on AIDS education, and in others there can even be policies specifically against AIDS education.

At the level of individual schools, one major obstacle is that often the subject can be considered by adults such as policy-makers, teachers and parents, as too sensitive for children or too controversial. Another obstacle, which is often encountered, is that the school curriculum is already full and that it is therefore impossible to find a slot for AIDS education.

Even when HIV and AIDS education is provided in a school, it is often inadequate for one or more of the following reasons:-

• HIV and AIDS education is often provided that deals only with medical and biological facts, and not with the real-life situations that young people find themselves in. Only if life skills are taught, and matters such as relationships, sexuality and the risks of drug use discussed, will young people be able to handle situations where they might be at risk of HIV infection.
• Only one option in terms of sexual behaviour may be offered (for example, that of abstinence) regardless of the age of the students.
• Materials for teachers may not exist, and teachers may not be properly trained to organise classroom activities on sensitive issues.
• No education is provided on referral services, such as further information and skills training, counselling, and youth-friendly STD services.

 Overcoming the Obstacles - Designing A Good Curriculum

 The starting point for designing a good curriculum for AIDS education should be to make a proper situation assessment. This involves studying students' patterns of behaviour relating to the risk of HIV and finding out, for example, what is the average age at which they first have sexual intercourse, what are their most common forms of sexual behaviour and of drug consumption (including alcohol) and when they tend to leave school.

Such an assessment should start by asking young people's views. Asking young people is essential as young people do not necessarily share adults' attitudes on sexual and drug behaviour. The students must be assured of confidentiality so that they give honest responses. The results of this assessment will have a direct bearing on the rest of the curriculum design which should then involve undertaking the following steps.

• Defining the type of programme (including the age at which it is to be introduced).
• Selecting objectives for the programme.
• Making a curriculum plan.
• Planning specifically for the production of learning materials, and for activities of the students.
• Developing teachers' guides.
• Overcoming the Obstacles - Ensuring an Effective AIDS Education Programme

Effective programmes are those that have had a positive influence on behaviour as regards sex, drug use and non-discrimination, and not simply increased knowledge and changed the attitudes of students.

It has been shown that effective programmes do all the following things:

• Focus on life skills with the double aim of delaying first sexual intercourse and encouraging protected intercourse.
• Concentrate on personalising risk through appropriate role playing and discussions.
• Discuss clearly the possible result of unprotected sex, and in equally clear terms the ways to avoid such an outcome.
• Explain where to turn for help and support among peers, school staff, and outside facilities.
• Stress that skills useful for self-protection from HIV also help build self-confidence and avoid unwanted pregnancy, sexual abuse, and the abuse of drugs (including tobacco and alcohol)
• Reinforce values, norms and peer group support for practising and sustaining safe behaviour and resisting unsafe behaviour, both at school and in the community.
• Provide sufficient time for classroom work and interactive teaching methods such as role play and group discussions.
• Start at the earliest possible age and certainly before the onset of sexual activity. Effectively this means that age appropriate programmes should start at primary school level.

 Other Roles for Schools

• Use the education system to deliver preventive HIV/AIDS education, in formal and informal ways that are responsive and effective; and
• Work with the broader community (religious leaders, NGOs, informal groups) to help raise children with protective values from an early age.

• School-based programmes are important for reaching youth before behaviours are established. Because risk behaviors do not exist independently, topics such as HIV, STDs, unintended pregnancy, tobacco, nutrition, and physical activity should be integrated and ongoing for all students in kindergarten through high school. The specific scope and content of these school health programs should be locally determined and consistent with parental and community values. Research has clearly shown that the most effective programs are comprehensive ones that include a focus on delaying sexual behavior and provide information on how sexually active young people can protect themselves.
• Efforts to reach out-of-school-youth are made by community-based programs. Addressing the needs of adolescents who are most vulnerable to HIV infection, such as homeless or runaway youth, juvenile offenders, or school drop-outs, is important.
• We must address sexual and drug-related risk. Many students report using alcohol or drugs when they have sex
• STD treatment must play a role in prevention programs for young people. Research has shown that biological factors make people who are infected with an STD more likely to become infected with HIV if exposed sexually; and HIV-infected people with STDs also are more likely to transmit HIV to their sex partners. Expanding STD treatment is critical to reducing the consequences of these diseases and helping to reduce risks of transmitting HIV among youth.

• Persons living with HIV/AIDS should have equal access on a non-discriminatory basis to institutions of primary, secondary and tertiary education, as well as to scholarship schemes.
• Culturally appropriate formal and non-formal education programmes and information on
• HIV/AIDS should be accessible on a continuous basis to all, to enable people to make informed decisions about their life and sexual practices. Education should also promote respect, tolerance and non-discrimination in relation to persons living with HIV/AIDS.
• Appropriate information regarding parent to child transmission, breastfeeding, treatment, nutrition, change of lifestyle and safer sex should be freely available.

 Role of the teacher

All we have learned from lesson 1 through 18 are what the teacher should do. He/she should be able to educate, counsel and offer help to his/her students and members of his community who are infected with HIV or living with AIDS. In an event the teacher is infected, he/she should adopt coping strategies that will be the subject of the next Discussion Forum. Please watch out in a few days for the Forum where you as a teacher, is expected to provide your suggestions on how to cope if infected.

In this lesson, we learned that:

• The potential strengths of a school setting are that children there have a curriculum, teachers, and a peer group. And school can teach them not only information, but also skills. School can also help to shape attitudes.
• Despite the desirability of AIDS education in schools, there are a number of obstacles which often stand in the way. Some countries have no policies on AIDS education, and in others there can even be policies specifically against AIDS education.
• Even when HIV and AIDS education is provided in a school, it is often inadequate for one or more of the following reasons:-

·         HIV and AIDS education is often provided that deals only with medical and biological facts, and not with the real-life situations that young people find themselves in. Only if life skills are taught, and matters such as relationships, sexuality and the risks of drug use discussed, will young people be able to handle situations where they might be at risk of HIV infection.

·         Only one option in terms of sexual behaviour may be offered (for example, that of abstinence) regardless of the age of the students.

·         Materials for teachers may not exist, and teachers may not be properly trained to organise classroom activities on sensitive issues.

·         No education is provided on referral services, such as further information and skills training, counselling, and youth-friendly STD services.

• There is a need to design an HIV/AIDS curriculum which should involve the following steps.

·         Defining the type of programme (including the age at which it is to be introduced).

·         Selecting objectives for the programme.

·         Making a curriculum plan.

·         Planning specifically for the production of learning materials, and for activities of the students.

·         Developing teachers' guides.

·         Overcoming the Obstacles - Ensuring an Effective AIDS Education Programme

• It has been shown that effective HIV/AIDS programmes do all the following things:

·         Focus on life skills with the double aim of delaying first sexual intercourse and encouraging protected intercourse.

·         Concentrate on personalising risk through appropriate role playing and discussions.

·         Discuss clearly the possible result of unprotected sex, and in equally clear terms the ways to avoid such an outcome.

·         Explain where to turn for help and support among peers, school staff, and outside facilities.

·         Stress that skills useful for self-protection from HIV also help build self-confidence and avoid unwanted pregnancy, sexual abuse, and the abuse of drugs (including tobacco and alcohol)

·         Reinforce values, norms and peer group support for practising and sustaining safe behaviour and resisting unsafe behaviour, both at school and in the community.

·         Provide sufficient time for classroom work and interactive teaching methods such as role play and group discussions.

·         Start at the earliest possible age and certainly before the onset of sexual activity. Effectively this means that age appropriate programmes should start at primary school level.

• The teacher should be able to educate, counsel and offer help to his/her students and members of his community who are infected with HIV or living with AIDS.

1. Enumerate four activities carried out in your school that address HIV/AIDS issues.
2. What are the outcomes of these activities and what should the school have done to improve on these outcomes?
3. State five roles that a teacher is expected to play in the development and implementation of a national policy on HIV/AIDS.