Ei-iE

Last year UNATU commissioned a study entitled 'The impact of HIV/AIDS on Education and Teachers in Uganda' to gather baseline information that will guide the planning and implementation of the EFAIDS programme. The study, which has just been published, provides a valuable analysis of the situation in Uganda.

The UNATU study investigated the impact of HIV/AIDS on the education sector with particular focus on teachers.

Almost all (92%) of the teachers said that HIV/AIDS has affected them either directly or indirectly. The impact was said to be manifest in increased absenteeism (24%), time lost caring for the sick (23%), inefficiency in teaching (16%) and stigma and discrimination (14%).

The majority (90%) of the teachers interviewed considered themselves to be at risk of contracting HIV. Nearly all teachers interviewed (99%) had heard of medication that can prolong the life of a person living with HIV/AIDS. Of those, (69%) knew about ARVs, 17% were aware of septrin prophylaxis and 8% reported traditional medicine.

Over one third (38%) of the teachers interviewed reported that their school had lost a teacher to HIV/AIDS within the last 5 years. Teachers in urban areas were said to be more vulnerable to the pandemic compared to those in the rural.

Teachers’ coping mechanisms included involvement in HIV/AIDS sensitisation efforts (81%), seeking HIV/AIDS counselling and testing services (42%), joining psychosocial support groups (9%) and uptake of ARVs (6%). Coping mechanisms mentioned during focus group discussions and key informant interviews included the disclosure of sero-status; sharing workload; joining care and support organisations and HIV/AIDS sensitisation among others.

The challenges schools face in addressing HIV/AIDS include limited information (42 %), limited access to HIV/AIDS services (36%), poor pay (32%) and stigma and discrimination (31%). The existing HIV/AIDS programs in schools mainly target learners. Teachers sought HIV/AIDS services from government, NGO and care and support organisations such as TASO. Provision of HIV/AIDS information was the most widely mentioned service offered by the schools reported by (54%) of the teachers.

Almost two thirds (65%) of the teachers reported to have tested for HIV. 47% of the teachers who had not tested felt they are safe from HIV and saw no reason for taking the test. Only 11% of the teachers had heard about the Ministry of Education’s HIV/AIDS workplace policy. 98% of the teachers agreed that an HIV positive teacher should be allowed to teach.

The survey concluded that the negative impact of HIV/AIDS on the education sector and teachers in particular is enormous both at the individual and institutional levels. One of the main recommendations made was the need to prioritise the implementation of the HIV/AIDS workplace policy for teachers. To download the report please go to http://www.ei-ie.org/efaids/en/about_materials.php.

For more information, please contact us at [email protected].