Ei-iE

EI has just published an update of its 2006 report "Training for Life" on the record of governments in providing training for teachers on HIV and AIDS. The report is the result of the hard work carried out by a number of EI's affiliates to establish the facts on teacher training on HIV/AIDS and its conspicuous absence in many countries.

Most people would agree that issues related to HIV and AIDS, particularly its prevention, should be taught in the classroom. However when it comes to providing this type of education, are teachers actually prepared? Are governments providing the necessary training to facilitate the learning of crucial and potentially life-saving knowledge and skills?

This is a question which the 2006 EI Report ‘Training for Life’ set out to answer via a survey carried out among its teacher union affiliates in eight developing countries. The responses to that survey painted a picture of poor state performance and very limited to no training for teachers.

This report has now been updated and extended to include two further countries (Guyana and Sierra Leone). The full list is as follows:

1. Burkina Faso (SNEA-B/National Union of African Teachers in Burkina) 2. Guinea (FSPE-SLECG/Federation of Professional Education Unions/Free Union of Teachers and Researchers) 3. Guyana (GTU/Guyana Teachers’ Union) 4. Ivory Coast (IE-SCI/Education International Cote d’Ivoire Section) 5. Kenya (KNUT/Kenya National Union of Teachers) 6. Malawi (TUM/Teachers’ Union of Malawi) 7. Namibia (NANTU/Namibia National Teachers' Union) 8. Sierra Leone (SLTU/Sierra Leone Teachers' Union) 9. Tanzania (TTU/Tanzania Teachers’ Union) 10. Uganda (UNATU/Uganda National Teachers’ Union)

It is impossible to establish a uniform conclusion on the situation regarding the provision of training on HIV and AIDS for teachers in these countries. However, as the report notes, there is reason for some optimism in some countries, most notably Namibia and Kenya. In others, for example Malawi and Tanzania, the situation has not improved.

The report also raises a number of questions related to the integration of HIV/AIDS issues into the school curriculum. For example, should educating on HIV and AIDS be treated as a separate subject in the curriculum rather than mainstreamed (and thereby often ignored) into other subjects? Should it be a compulsory subject in the curriculum? Should it be examinable? These are key issues for consideration by teachers unions.

Training for Life will be available as of August on our website at http://www.ei-ie.org/efaids/en/documentation_ei.php. In the meantime, to obtain a copy, please contact us at [email protected].