5.2 The Curriculum Policy Context
5.2.1 The International Policy Context
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HIV and AIDS education in the schools. The interaction theorists’ view, which posits that role acquisition would be an active process, is thus embraced in this study.
Using these theoretical lenses, first, the chapter provides an analysis of the curriculum policies that inform the teaching of HIV and AIDS education in Lesotho secondary school and teacher training institutions. Second it analyses the role expectation of teachers in terms of HIV and AIDS education in schools. Third, using one rural secondary school as a case study, the chapter presents data on educators’ perspectives on their pre- and/or in-service training and preparedness for teaching the HIV and AIDS curriculum.
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68% of all people living with HIV residing here at the end of 2010. Furthermore, reports state that 70% of all new infections occurred in this region in the same year. While research shows that HIV incidences have declined by more than 25% in 22 Sub- Saharan countries, and the epidemic in Lesotho seems to be levelling off, HIV prevalence among young people remains unacceptably high.
According to UNAIDS (2014), Lesotho had moved upwards from the third rank globally to the second rank with high HIV prevalence after Swaziland. UNAIDS statistics (2014) indicated that HIV prevalence was 22.9% in 2013. This figure rose slightly from 22% in 2005 (UNAIDS, 2014). The report estimated that 360,000 people are living with HIV in Lesotho and that 16,000 died from AIDS- related illnesses in 2013 (Lesotho Ministry of Health (2012) ‘Lesotho Global AIDS Response Country Progress Report').The country has seen a slight decrease in HIV incidence from 30,000 new infections in 2005 to 26,000 new infections in 2013 (UNAIDS, 2014).
In view of this, the epidemic among young adults globally has highlighted the need to revisit the content of HIV and AIDS education and the meaning that young people attach to the messages therein. Because of the soaring numbers of infected and affected youth in Lesotho, the government, through the Education Sector Strategic Plan (2005-2015) and the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (2010), has developed and adopted policies to ensure that teachers, the youth and children have access to education, including HIV prevention education, as well as care and support for those who need it. The policies are aligned with and seek to support the implementation of the global and regional conventions and agreements that address these issues. For example, as discussed in Chapter One, at the international level, the 1990 Conference on Education for All (EFA), held in Jomtein, Thailand, pledged to achieve universal primary education by 2000. In this conference, countries committed themselves to provide their citizens with basic education as a fundamental human right.
The EFA targets were bolstered by the launch of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in a United Nations (UN) summit in 2000. MDG 6 aimed to combat HIV and AIDS. The Summit aimed
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to begin to reverse the spread of HIV and AIDS, HIV prevalence among the population aged 15–24 years and to increase condom use at least among 15–24-year olds with comprehensive knowledge of HIV and AIDS (UNGASS, 2001). The continuing increase in new infections among this population seems to suggest that interventions, including education, aimed at achieving these goals have not been successful. Thus, in anticipation of the adoption of the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by nation states, including Lesotho, a summit was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2012 to replace the Millennium Development Goals once they expired at the end of 2015. The Summit came up with 17 SDGs as a proposed set of targets relating to future international development. The intention was to develop goals which are,
“.... action-oriented, concise and easy to communicate, limited in number, inspirational, global in nature and universally applicable to all countries while taking into account different national realities, capacities and levels of development and respecting national policies and priorities” (UN Department of Public Information- Press Release. p.1).
The seventeen (17) SDGs and one hundred and sixty-nine (169) targets were adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, held in New York, at a meeting held from 25-27 September 2015.
Replacing and building on the work of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) (2000-2015), the SDGs aim to guide economic, environmental and social initiatives for the next fifteen (15) years.
These SDGs recognize the human rights of all, including the right to gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls (United Nations Agenda, 25 September 2015). Of particular relevance to this study is the overarching goal on health, SDG 3, which seeks to “ensure healthy lives and promote the well-being for all at all ages, and Target 3.3, which aims to end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases and to combat hepatitis C, water-borne
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diseases and other communicable diseases by 2030” (United Nations Agenda, 25 September 2015.
p. 16).
In addition, other SDGs among the 17 could arguably contribute to addressing HIV and AIDS by 2030. For example, by ending poverty and hunger (SDG 2) and achieving gender equality and reducing inequality (SDG 5), nation states would be addressing some of the underlying factors that leave people vulnerable to HIV infection (United Nations Agenda -25 September 2015, p.4).
Similarly, targets linked to these, including the promotion of economic growth and decent work, making cities safe and resilient and promoting peaceful and inclusive societies are also the key to addressing HIV and AIDS. Further, “strengthening HIV programs to secure affordable HIV treatments can also contribute to other health and equity agendas, including reducing TB, hepatitis C and non-communicable diseases” (United Nations Agenda -25 September 2015. p. 16).
To achieve the SDG 3 targets by 2030, nation states have to ensure that there are zero new HIV infections, zero HIV related deaths, zero HIV related discrimination and that all people who are living with HIV have access to anti-retroviral therapy (ART). In line with this vision, during the 20th International AIDS conference in Melbourne in 2014, delegates adopted the slogan, “Ending AIDS by 2030”. Further, UNAIDS and the Lancet Commission recently published a paper on “defeating AIDS and advancing global health” (Plot et.al, 2015, p.3). The paper has seven key recommendations for achieving SDG 3. These include, among others, scaling up HIV prevention and access to treatment and addressing any factors that put people at risk of HIV infection. It increases funding significantly for AIDS responses and improves research to ensure accountability and transparency. It also increases data review to be linked to policies and programmes, strengthening involvement of people living with HIV and AIDS in decision making and removing the legal and human rights barriers that face people
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living with HIV. The latter is made in the context of the absence of human rights programmes in the national AIDS plans of many countries with less than 1% of the $18.9 billion being spent on HIV/AIDS in 2012 instead of going towards the much-needed human rights responses (Plot et al., 2015).
As a signatory to the SDGs, Lesotho has committed to develop policies and programmes that address the factors that put people at risk of HIV infection. Like other nations, the country has committed itself to ensuring that there will be zero new HIV infections in the country by 2030. Arguably, such interventions would, as Unterhalter et al. (2014) suggest, change the institutions. For example, it would improve resources and infrastructure in the school and change gender norms in and around the schools and teacher training institutions. It would thus enable the education sector to implement effective programming aimed at curbing the spread of HIV among young people in the country. The next section examines the extent to which the country’s policy context is aligned to this international policy framework and to which these policies are on target to curb the spread of HIV in the country, particularly among the young people, including those of school-going age.