As outlined in the Joint Agency Position Paper on HIV & AIDS and Education

T h e r o l e o f
e d u c a t i o n
As outlined in the Joint Agency Position Paper on
HIV & AIDS and Education, education can effectively
contribute to achieving gender equality, to promoting
SRHR and to providing access to knowledge and
skills needed for HIV prevention and care.H o w t o u s e
t h i s t o o l
Carefully consider the questions in each of the shaded
boxes in the fl ow chart on page 10 (left), starting from
the top and working down. You may want to look up
information you do not have, or talk to others who are
knowledgeable about the areas covered to ensure you
have the correct answer, and/or that your answer refl ects
the perceptions of others. Once you have decided on
the answer to the question, use the arrows to proceed
to the next box. When you have fi nished responding to
the fl ow chart, consider the implications of the questions
that have been asked and use those to start thinking
about strategies and priority areas for action.
D i s c u s s i o n
This exercise will have made it clear that HIV
& AIDS and SRHR need to be addressed in all contexts
– irrespective of HIV prevalence levels – and that there is
really no situation in which both issues are irrelevant to
learners, to education staff (including educators) and to
the education sector as a whole. In some countries, the
epidemic will have progressed to such an extent that the
risk to the education sector is immediate and obvious. In
other countries, the risk may be more long term and less
prominent but nonetheless present. In all cases, learners
and education sector staff face the possibility of potential
infection. Thus in all cases, the education sector will need
to play a major role in promoting knowledge, attitudes
and skills that allow young people and education staff to
protect themselves against HIV infection.gQ u e s t i o n s f o r exp l o r a t i o n
If other sectors or stakeholders outside the education sector are, or will be, addressing HIV
and AIDS in education, why will it still be necessary for the education sector to take on this
responsibility?
According to the fl ow chart, strong leadership is critical to an effective response. In this
context, consider the following:
a. Who are the leaders in the education sector in the country where you are based?
b. What is your assessment of the commitment of leaders in the education sector to
addressing HIV & AIDS and SRHR?
c. In what ways do you think your assessment of this commitment may differ from that
of your colleagues in other development agencies? Why?
d. What is the opinion of leadership on HIV & AIDS and SRHR within your agency?
To what extent does the joint agency position paper presented in this toolkit fi t with what
your agency is trying to achieve at the country level?
Make a list of the international commitments/targets that your agency has subscribed
to for the education sector. To what extent will the achievement of these commitments
be affected by HIV and AIDS? What role should development cooperation agencies
play in making sectors/governments aware of the threat that HIV and AIDS pose to the
achievement of these commitments?