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AFRICA: HIV/AIDS and education in vicious cycle
Education could play a critical role in HIV/AIDS prevention but the pandemic's
devastating impact threatens to derail any such efforts, the World Bank warns in
a new report.
"HIV/AIDS is draining the supply of education, eroding its quality,
weakening demand and access, drying up countries' pools of skilled workers and
increasing the sector's costs," the report 'Education and HIV/AIDS: A
Window of Hope' released on 7 May said.
In the Central African Republic, 85 percent of teachers who died between 1996
and 1998 were HIV-positive, and they died 10 years before they were due to
retire.
Education administrators were also affected. At least 12 percent of South
Africa's administrative personnel were estimated to be HIV positive.
Teacher absenteeism and non-performance could also be attributed to the largely
ignored psychological effects of the pandemic.
In Zambia, more than two-thirds of a survey sample of teachers with relatives
who were ill with or had died of AIDS were unable or unwilling to talk about the
problem with friends or family. Such isolation, coupled with fear about their
own HIV status, took its toll on teachers and their ability to teach.
According to the report, African universities are now operating in a worsening
socio-economic environment. A recent study of several African universities in
Benin, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, South Africa and Zambia found an
"overwhelming atmosphere of ignorance, secrecy, denial and fear of
stigmatisation and discrimination in relation to AIDS".
The impact of the epidemic on demand for education was less clear, however, as
the school age population would continue to grow despite being reduced by
HIV/AIDS.
But girls' access to education had been curtailed by HIV/AIDS, as they were more
likely to be retained at home to care for sick relatives.
"In some countries the epidemic contributes to making the education system
itself a source of risk, especially for girls," the report said. In one
Ugandan district 31 percent of schoolgirls surveyed reported being sexually
abused, mainly by teachers.
"The specific costs of HIV/AIDS to the education sector, now beginning to
be estimated, are large," the report said.
Zambia has estimated the cost of replacing teachers who have died of HIV/AIDS at
US $25 million between 2000 and 2010, and Mozambique's estimate is about twice
as much.
Country responses to this worsening crisis included skills-based health
education.
After a school health education programme in Uganda yielded little progress in
attitudes and behavioural change, the education ministry adopted a life skills
project for primary and secondary schools. Consequently, Uganda's AIDS
Commission reported a fall in the rate of new infections of almost 50 percent
among 15 to 19-year-olds, the report observed.
The World Bank is working with partners to support countries throughout Africa
in assessing the impact of HIV/AIDS on their education systems and planning
appropriate reponses such as the skills-based school health programmes.
This Item is Delivered to the "Africa-English" Service of the UN's
IRIN
humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily reflect the views
of the United Nations. Copyright (c) UN Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs 2002
IRIN-SA
Tel: +27 11 880-4633
Fax: +27 11 447-5472
Email: IRIN-SA@irin.org.za
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