CHAPTER TWO METHODOLGY
3.3 HIV/AIDS And Higher Education
clearly both aspects are important. Almost certainly, however, the general impact of education in itself is the most significant factor. The reason for this view is that the positive correlation between level of education and HIV infection or high risk behaviour is changing even among those whose formal education included little if any health skills and AIDS information. But what seems to be the greatest
significance in reducing HIV/AIDS vulnerability is the fact of being educated, of having attended school for a certain number of years.
Before trying to unravel some of the Inechanisms that may be at work here, it is worth noting somewhat similar effects in relation to both poverty reduction and improved
health. It may well be the same in the case of HIV infection. Vulnerability declines with years of education, but how exposure to education and training works to bring about this decline is far from being clear. Part of the reason, however, may lie in the way that education brings about changes in the information handling, affective and socio-cultural domains. As education becomes more widely diffused in a
community, it becomes more acceptable that women and girls should be more involved in decisions affecting themselves and ultimately affecting their sexual and social lives. It was interesting to note that the literature on HIVIAIDS and educated focused almost entirely on prevention with no specific mention of education
regarding treatment.
This report draws upon case study reports commissioned by the WGHE at seven universities in six countries - Benin, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, South Africa and Zambia. Each of the case studies follows the same format and addresses the same six questions:
• In what ways have the universities been affected by HIV/AIDS?
• •How have the universities responded to the presence of the disease?
• What steps are they taking to control and limit the further spread of the disease in their communities?
• What HIV/AIDS-related teaching, research, publications, and advisory services have the universities undertaken?
• How do universities propose to anticipate and address the larger impact of HIV/AIDS on the nationallabor market for university graduates?
• Should universities increase access to their courses, including distance education courses, to compensate for expected national losses in skilled professional personnel?
The seven case studies generally agreed that no one knows exactly what the HIVIAIDS situation is at their respective universities. A thick cloak of ignorance surrounds the presence of the disease on campus. The study also found that, although university students seem to be generally aware of the existence of HIV/AIDS and to know the basic facts about its transmission, they did not regard themselves as being seriously at risk of HIV infection. It also found that HIVIAIDS related services in universities focus mostly on students and they are essentially health centred. The main thrust of university information, education and
communication efforts in relation to HIVIAIDS tends to occur in the brief period of student orientation at the beginning of the academic year. The report also found that no substantive changes in university academic policies or practices have yet
occurred in response to the disease.
The report closes by outlining a two-pronged strategy for African universities to consider in shaping their own responses to HIV/AIDS. The two thrusts reflect the inward looking and outward-looking dimensions of the traditional university mandate and mission. The inward-looking dimension pursues the concern that a university should have to sustain itself as a functioning institution and keep itself in good working order. To this end, the report summarizes what inward-looking actions and strategies are needed. The outward-looking dimension relates to the university's core functions of teaching, research, and community service. Its discussion focuses on what is needed to produce quality graduates who have the skills and flexibility needed to understand and manage the HIVIAIDS crisis in their country. (Kelly, 2001)
One of the seven case studies, from the above study, carried out at the University of the Western Cape to investigate the impact of HIVIAIDS on the university was carried out internally by Dr Teresa Barnes of the Education Policy Unit at the University of the Western Cape. As above, The aim of the study was to develop an
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understanding of how the disease is affecting universities and to identify responses of staff, students and management that will help develop effective policies and practices in other institutions facing similar circumstances. The ultimate goal of this study was to stimulate African universities to integrate HIV/AIDS fully into all aspects of their planning and operations. This study found that there was a 'silence' about HIVIAIDS on campus, in fact despite the fact that there are most probably thousands of HIV positive people on campus the study found that only one person had publicly declared their status. The study also found that" concerned staff members have been at work for nearly the past two years developing a policy document on HIVIAIDS and that there are significant pockets of academic expertise in AIDS education and outreach in the university community. So far these have been largely initiatives directed only at specific groups of students. These initiatives are often completely unconnected with each other, due to the lack of a co-ordinating impulse across faculty and department barriers. (Barnes, 2000)
In a separate case study on the University of Namibia, Otaala reflects in the
summary that the need for visible leadership from above (university administration) and resonance from below (the whole university community) is needed. Italso sates that there is a need for more co-ordinated research, more university wide workshops on HIV/AIDS, and the need for inter-faculty networking. (Otaala, 2001)
A more recent document, commissioned by the Association of Commonwealth Universities, entitled 'Commonwealth Universities in the age of HIVIAIDS:
Guidelines Towards a Strategic Response and Good Practice', was put together by Chetty in April 2002. This document is designed to pose some key questions for institutional leaders such as: Why is HIV/AIDS an issue for Universities and what role can the university play?Itgoes on to explain that HIVIAIDS concerns
universities for a number of reasons, namely, it is a development issue, not just a health issue, it effects not just individuals, but institutions and systems, it effects human resource development, the struggle against HIV/AIDS requires knowledge and lastly resources and successful institutional and societal responses to HIVIAIDS require leadership. (Chetty, 2002, p7)
Chetty also poses the question 'Why the need to change teaching and learning?' and says that the simple answer is: because living in a world affected by HIVIAIDS means that the needs of students and graduates and societies requirements of them are being fundatnentally changed. Itis only when this question of 'why teach HIV/AIDS' has been resolved that we can move onto a more sustained discussion about 'how we teach HIVIAIDS'. Providing knowledge, skills and values about HIVAIDS through the curriculum has benefits that are both personal and professional. The personal benefit comes from being informed about how to understand HIV/AIDS, how to avoid infection, to reduce risk, manage living with HIVIAIDS and how to act as a responsible citizen in a world affected by
HIV/AIDS. Though there is some consensus on the need for this level of intervention, it is fair to say that the results are unsatisfactory. The professional benefits to students and staff derive from being able to work effectively in an
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HIV/AIDS infected society. To do this they must of necessity know how HIV/AIDS affects their discipline, profession and world of work and be able, in turn, to deploy their professional expertise to the betterment of that society. There are essentially two different imperatives here - prevention strategy or academic requirement. In some instances these can be addressed by a comprehensive
approach, but the question will be raised and needs resolution in every case: what is our raison d'etre for teaching HIV/AIDS? .cChetty, 2002, p25)