Department of Educations HIVAIDS Programme Progress since 2001

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Department of Educations HIV/AIDS Programme-
Progress since 2001

• Presentation to the Education Portfolio Committee
• 03 September 02
• Kgobati Magome, Ministry of Education

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Structure of presentation

• Context
• Priorities for 2001/2002
• Progress on priorities
• Lessons learnt and Conclusion

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Background

• The Governments five-year strategic plan on HIV
  and AIDS has as one of its pillars, a
  recognition that the epidemic is multifaceted and
  therefore requires a multifaceted, multisectoral
  response
• It lays out a framework within which different
  sectors should develop strategic responses to
  HIV/AIDS on the basis of
• how HIV/AIDS affects the mandate of the sector
• what the sector is best placed to do
• The Education sector response to HIV/AIDS is
  located within this broader national
  multisectoral framework

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DoEs HIV/AIDS Priorities for 2001/2002

• Continue the phasing in of the Lifeskills and
  HIV/AIDS programme into schools with a completion
  date of 2003
• Expand the HIV/AIDS response to incorporate both
  prevention of HIV and mitigation of AIDS
• Expand the DoE HIV/AIDS response beyond the
  General Education Band
• Mobilise the different sub sectors of education
  and the many education stakeholders to work in
  partnership against AIDS

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Phasing in of Lifeskills and HIV/AIDS programme

• The main objective is to equip learners with
  knowledge, skills, attitudes and values necessary
  to adopt healthy sexuality and positive
  lifestyles.
• This is done through integrating life skills and
  HIV/AIDS content within the Life Orientation
  Learning Area of C2005 and across other learning
  areas of the new curriculum.
• The programme is based on OBE principles and is
  age appropriate.

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Approved Budget Allocations
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Phasing in of Lifeskills and HIV/AIDS programme-
continued

• Key Activities and Progress  
• 22, 800 educators from Grades 1-12 and 683 Master
  trainers trained
• Appropriate learner and educator support
  materials have been developed and printed for
  Gr.1-12.
• Parent resource guides on communicating
  sexuality issues to their children developed and
  printed in all official languages
• Advocacy and Information Workshops for School
  Governing Bodies and other stakeholders are being
  held.
• The programme is being phased in over a
  three-year period on 20-40-40 basis.
  Implementation is on phase 2 and 60 of all
  schools are expected to be implementing the
  programme by end of this financial year.

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Phasing in of Lifeskills and HIV/AIDS programme-
Expenditure

• 71.74 of the total R87 million transferred to
  provinces was spent in the 2001/2002 financial
  year
• This was an improvement on the 23.14 expenditure
  of 2000/2001.
•  Improvement a result of the monitoring systems
  put in place by provincial and national
  departments

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.   Expand the HIV/AIDS response

• A programme focussing on ensuring access to
  education and other social services for learners,
  particularly those orphaned
• Takalani Sesame - Muppet living with HIV
• Main objective is to create dialogue and model
  behaviour on
• age-appropriate HIV and AIDS related knowledge,
  skills and attitudes for children
• caring and supportive environments for the
  infected and affected
• breaking the cycle of silence and stigma
  associated with HIV and AIDS
• The Minister of Education will launch series,17th
  September.
• The development of a life skills programme for
  teachers- prevention and positive living

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Expand the HIV/AIDS response

• Communicate the Departments HIV/AIDS policies on
  learners and educators and review other policies
  to ensure that they are responsive to the
  challenges of HIV and AIDS
• HIV/AIDS is been mainstreamed into the core
  functions of different DoE units within different
  branches- as evidenced by the new strategic plan
  on HIV/AIDS
• The Higher Education Against HIV/AIDS programme
  in collaboration with SAUVCA and CTP

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Mobilise the sub sectors and stakeholders of
education

• Conference on HIV/AIDS and the education sector
• A declaration by the different sub-sectors of the
  education sector and its collaborating partners
  to join hands in a partnership of hope against
  HIV/AIDS and its impacts on the nation
• The sector acknowledged that it is principally
  through education that an AIDS free South
  Africa can be achieved and therefore agreed to
  maximize efforts to place education at the heart
  of the national response to HIV/AIDS
• A plan of action for the education sector-
  enclosed

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Mobilise the sub sectors and stakeholders of
education

• Post-conference activities
• Setting up of a steering committee to manage the
  education coalition and the implementation of the
  plan of action
• Setting up of sub-sector committees to support
  and monitor the implementation of the plan of
  action
• Four sub-sector committees are envisaged GET,
  FET, Higher Education and management and
  planning of education.

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Key elements of the sector plan

• Customs, belief systems and the status of women
  and girls in the community are fundamental to the
  success of the life skills and HIV/AIDS programme
  in schools.
• The involvement of traditional and community
  leaders is therefore critical
• Peer-education amongst learners as an essential
  supplement to the curriculum
• Management fundamentals need to be strengthened
  in order to respond to HIV and AIDS effectively.
  This includes management capacity, monitoring and
  evaluation of programmes
• Setting up of a unit needs to be backed by a
  system-wide response with adequate human and
  financial resources

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Conclusion

• Education is the greatest social vaccine
  available today
• Resources need to be directed to the most
  critical area of need and intervention At the
  school and community level.
• Programmes need to impact at the individual level
  
• HIV/AIDS strategies need to incorporate customs,
  belief systems and the status of women and girls
  in the community these are fundamental to the
  success of the response to HIV/AIDS
• Ultimately, the vision is to have schools and
  institutions that are managed and governed
  effectively to serve at the forefront of
  developing a future generation without AIDS
• Sept 02nd to 08th is school AIDS week, focusing
  on assuming this role