Teachers to Talk HIV and AIDS
UNESCO’s International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) and the UNAIDS Inter-Agency Task Team (IATT) on Education are organising an E-Forum on “Teachers and HIV & AIDS: Reviewing achievements, identifying challenges” from 18 to 29 May 2009.
The IATT points out “evidence of effective teacher involvement in the HIV and AIDS response is scattered and the lessons learnt, as well as their implications, are yet to be comprehensively fed back into joint efforts around EFA”.
The IATT seeks to change that through the E-Forum by collecting the views and experiences on teachers’ contribution to HIV prevention and the impact of the epidemic on teachers. As a member of the IATT Steering Committee, EI urges teacher unions to sign-up and share their experiences working on the EI EFAIDS Programme and contribute to a dynamic E-Forum discussion that will also include educational planners, policy makers, civil society partners and UN agencies.
EI Deputy General Secretary Jan Eastman said, “This is an excellent opportunity for EI members, as the voice of teachers, to show the special role teachers play and to highlight the valuable contribution they make in supporting teachers and students to teach and learn in an inclusive environment. By sharing their experiences, unions can help strengthen the ongoing response to AIDS in the education sector”
The outcomes of the E-Forum will be reflected in the Spring meeting of the UNAIDS IATT on Education. Hosted by Irish Aid in Limerick, Ireland in June 2009, the meeting continues the theme, ‘Teachers and HIV & AIDS: Reviewing achievements, identifying challenges’ and will be an opportunity for EI to highlight the valuable work of teacher unions on HIV and AIDS issues in the education sector.
The E-Forum will focus on four themes; involving teachers in HIV prevention – policy and management implications; coverage and content of pre- and in- service training for teachers; the role of teachers in child protection and promotion of safe and healthy school environments; supportive and enabling environments for teachers affected by HIV and AIDS.
Union representatives who want to speak out about their union’s work should join the E-Forum by sending an e-mail message to [email protected], stating name, title, organisation and nationality. Upon registering IATT will send instructions on how to access the E-Forum and on how to contribute to the discussion.
Teacher unions can sign up anytime between now and 29 May, and can begin contributing to the discussion when the E-Forum opens on 18 May.
The EI EFAIDS Programme is interested in hearing about your participation at [email protected].
For more information on the IATT E-forum and the upcoming Symposium contact [email protected].
