Department of Education’s HIV/AIDS Strategy Presentation to the Education Portfolio Committee 28 August 2001

Background Core business is to educate, build skills and inculcate values necessary for a vibrant democratic SA Response to HIV/AIDS is based on what we are best placed to do The opportunity to turn epidemic around We have a captive audience Priority of all priorities

Programme 1 Two pronged approach HIV/AIDS and the Education system HIV/AIDS and the beneficiaries/people within the system

HIV/AIDS & the System Need to protect the system to ensure continued supply and demand of education Develop tools and planning models to facilitate analysis and understanding of the impact Align legislation, policies, strategies Improve monitoring and evaluation systems Establish dedicated capacity to deal with HIV/AIDS – HIV/AIDS Unit, strengthen HIV/AIDS management at national and provincial levels

HIV/AIDS & the curriculum “HIV/AIDS and Life skills” is curriculum policy as per new curriculum 2005, implemented in Grade 1-9 Resume of Instructional programmes in public schools Report 550 (NATED 550) provides for Guidance, Health Education as compulsory offerings from Grade Government’s conditional grant to address HIV/AIDS within the curriculum as part of an integrated approach with Depts. Of Health and Social Development All provincial DoEs have funded business plans to implement this programme

HIV/AIDS & curriculum Strengthen implementation of Life skills and HIV/AIDS programme within curriculum Integrate HIV/AIDS across the curriculum and provide guidelines for educators Develop programmes for Early Childhood Education and Learners with special needs Work with SAUVCA to develop and implement HIV/AIDS programmes in Higher Education institutions Support the inclusion of HIV/AIDS into pre- service training by tertiary institutions

HIV/AIDS and learners Establish an identification and support system for learners in distress &/ orphaned Facilitate access to services through the integrated approach Communicate SA schools Act and HIV/AIDS policy and their application to teachers Develop guidelines for educators to assist with this Promote school as a center of support and hope for communities

HIV/AIDS at work HIV/AIDS policy for CS Educators HIV/AIDS policy for Public Servants Workplace programme developed and adapted for schools as a workplace Programme includes preventive & promotive education, care, support, counseling & management training Involvement of educators living with HIV/AIDS

Progress All nine provinces are implementing the curriculum- based HIV/AIDS programme Implementation of this programme needs to be strengthened Enforcement of national policies e.g teacher-learner sexual relations, HIV/AIDS,rights of learners under Schools Act. Workplace policy and programme guideline Higher Education programme developed and implementation to begin

Other initiatives Peer education to strengthen curriculum based initiatives Inclusion of Sexuality and Life skills Education into sports and ball games Strengthening of partnerships with CBOs, NGOs and other government Departments

Conclusion HIV/AIDS dictates non-traditional, “out of the box” responses Need to attack from all angles Integrated, comprehensive approach seems to be the way forward