How do, or will, HIV and AIDS affect the supply

Human resources
How do, or will, HIV and AIDS affect the supply of
educators and other school staff (e.g. headmasters,
school managers, teacher trainers and ministry
staff) at different levels?
Are staff planning and projections built on good
estimates of current and expected absenteeism,
mortality and morbidity among school staff?
Is the student/teacher ratio expected to increase?
Are certain geographical areas currently more affected
than others? Is there an expectation that
certain geographical areas will be more affected
than others (e.g. border areas, confl ict areas,
pockets of poverty)? How are or can these areas
be supported?
Has there been any review of placement/posting
policy for educators to take account of vulnerability
and impact of HIV and AIDS (e.g. close to home,
closer to areas where ART can be obtained) or to
ensure they are placed with their families?
Learners
Have or will enrolment rates decline? What is happening/
expected to happen with respect to school
attendance and drop-out rates? How are girls and
boys, respectively, affected?
Which regions are currently affected? Which regions
will be hardest hit?
Is there a policy to ensure that those who are vulnerable
to HIV, or have been orphaned by AIDS,
continue their schooling?
Are there plans/programmes to ensure that the
school system makes it possible for vulnerable children
to attend school e.g. abolishment of schools
fees, fl exible hours to meet household or incomegenerating
needs, school feeding, school health,
help with homework?
Are there any innovative activities, such as schoolbased
programmes for technical and vocational
training or income generation?
What do schools do to enhance the learners’ possibilities
to practice what they learn about protecting
themselves against HIV?
Legislation
Does current legislation ensure that:
Boys and girls start school at an appropriate age?
Girls can stay in school, even if they become pregnant
or if they get married?
Vulnerable children have access to additional resources?
Learners and educators are protected from and can
take action against stigma and discrimination?
Community involvement
Can schools become centres for the dissemination
of HIV and AIDS information and related issues
such as life skills, empowerment of girls and
STIs?
Is there any established cooperation between the
community and school? How are parents involved?
What possibilities exist for enhancing that involvement?
How can and do schools reach out-of-school
youth with prevention education?
T o consider…
In going through these questions, you will have
noticed how they all touch upon critical elements of
the education system, such as legislation, budgeting,
human resource management, planning, curriculum,
teacher training, outreach, and monitoring and
evaluation. This underscores again the importance
of ensuring that HIV and AIDS become part of the
core business of education, which is precisely what
mainstreaming is about.