Life skills and HIV and AIDS Conditional Grant

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Life skills and HIV and AIDSConditional Grant

• Presentation to Portfolio Committee
• 15 May 2007

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Background

• Programme introduced 7 yrs ago to curb spread of
  HIV and AIDS through
• Integration of HIV and AIDS, and relevant life
  skills into the curriculum using sexuality
  education as a basis
• Strengthen link and advocacy in communities
  surrounding schools
• Strengthening ability of schools to manage impact
  of the pandemic.

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Background

• Two other areas introduced late into the
  programme as a result of feedback from school
  communities and provincial managers were
• Peer education, to maximise spread of relevant
  information and behaviour change, and
• Usage of schools as nodes of care (under the
  rubric Care and Support) in response to growth in
  numbers of orphans and other categories of
  vulnerable learners.

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Key successes over the years

• Successful integration into the curriculum 1
  321 master trainers leading the process of
  teacher training and 25 000 teachers trained
  across the country to successfully integrate HIV
  and AIDS education into Life Orientation
• School Management are more aware of their
  responsibilities to lessen impact of pandemic on
  education in their schools

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Key successes over the years

• Over 10 000 learners have been trained as Peer
  Educators and
• 15 000 schools have set up Care and Support
  structures and programmes for both teachers and
  learners and
• An impact study on the programme was successfully
  conducted in 2006/07

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Some significant findings from both impact study
and provincial monitoring

• The impact study revealed that most children in
  the Grades 4 9 were reasonably knowledgeable on
  issues of HIV and AIDS, how you can prevent being
  infected and other related information, only in
  the Grades 4 6 could you detect a change or
  desire to act in accordance with the knowledge
  gained. The older children were less forthcoming
  for any judgment to be made.

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Some significant findings from both impact study
and provincial monitoring

• Many teachers continue to be ambivalent about the
  extent to which they should discuss issues of
  sexuality with young learners despite the
  curriculum requirements and the guidelines
  provided an issue the Department continues to
  monitor and support teacher on. This is still
  complicated by parents reaction to the teaching
  of sex education to their children.

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Highlights

• The extent to which the various provinces have
  customised the programme although sticking to the
  spirit of the conditional grant.
• Examples that stand out are a) Mpumalangas
  inter-departmental response to the growing number
  of orphans and child-headed families

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Some significant findings from both impact study
and provincial monitoring

• A number of teachers affected and infected by the
  virus continue to struggle to both teach and
  support learners about HIV and AIDS and
  themselves need support. Care and Support centers
  for teachers in particular not widely available
  although they are increasing (not only through
  DoE programmes)

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Highlights

• Various provinces have customised the programme
  although sticking to the spirit of the
  conditional grant
• Examples that stand out are a) Mpumalangas
  inter-departmental response to the growing number
  of orphans and child headed families NWs
  strengthened focus on peer education which has
  enabled them to identify vulnerable and affected
  children KZNs Soul Buddyz clubs to approach the
  programme from a values angle

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CONCLUSION

• The focus on integration of HIV and AIDS
  education into Life Orientation is largely
  integrated and is now part of the taught
  curriculum.
• A major challenge that faces the system is the
  management of the impact on learning and this is
  an area of growth for the programme. The 15 000
  care and support sites are providing useful
  lessons and impact on those provinces leading in
  this area will be monitored.
• Spending on the grant has improved significantly
  over the years.