Desktop review on supporting the educational needs of HIV-positive learners
Overview:
The Department of Basic Education has long recognized the role that education can play in reducing new HIV infections and responding to the needs of those who are infected or affected by HIV and AIDS. Stemming from this recognition, it recently launched its Strategy on HIV, STIs and TB (2012 – 2016) which aims to support a national HIV and AIDS program. According to this strategy, the department intends to provide school environments that are caring, safe and conducive to learning, especially for HIV positive and TB-infected learners and educators, by integrating efforts to mitigate the effects of HIV and AIDS within school-based programs.
Objectives:
In seeking to highlight and address the challenges experienced by HIV positive learners at school, the aims of this project are to:
- Review local and international studies that have explored the lived experiences of HIV positive young people and identify the challenges that they are faced with, especially within educational settings or when accessing educational services. In conducting this review, a gendered perspective will be adopted.
- Generate estimates of the demographic dimensions of the population of HIV positive learners/young people.
- Evaluate interventions that have been conducted in and outside of the school setting, and are designed to support HIV positive young people.
- Offer recommendations for a strategy and model of intervention that addresses Positive Health, Dignity and Prevention (PHDP) issues for learners, and will be aligned with key policies and frameworks implemented by DBE.