Furthermore, this study is part of a larger project commissioned by the NRF on the impact of the HIVIAIDS pandemic on education in the Richmond District. The findings of this study confirm that poverty, issues related to family responsibility, the emotional trauma of losing loved ones and the crime, violence and abuse to which affected children are exposed all hinder learning.
FOCUS OF THIS STUDY
Safeguarding: safeguarding the education sector's ability to provide adequate levels of quality education - by stabilizing the teaching service and improving educator skills, and responding to new learning needs, and. Furthermore, this study focuses on the barriers to learning experienced by children affected by the pandemic.
AIMS OF THIS STUDY
But in this study, learning includes both schooling as well as educational support at home and in the community.
MOTIVATION AND RATIONALE FOR THIS STUDY
The Education White Paper 6 of 2000 seeks to highlight the barriers to learning in South Africa. This piqued the researcher's interest in how the pandemic affects the schooling of children affected by the pandemic.
KEY RESEARCH QUESTIONS
One of the highlighted obstacles is the HIV/AIDS pandemic (South Africa 200 I). From the literature reviewed by the researcher, much of the research on HIV/AIDS has focused on the infected child.
DEFINITION OF TERMS
AFFECTED CHILDREN
It is often claimed that all children will be affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The healthy children of HIV-positive parents will be adversely affected during their parents' illnesses and will usually face serious consequences once one or both of their parents die.
ORPHAN
The children of families hosting orphans, who are often in very limited situations to begin with, will be adversely affected as fewer resources are available for their care and development. Even children from unaffected households will be affected due to the likelihood of their playmates leaving school as a result of the destruction of their households following the death of their parents (Gow, Desmond & Ewing 2002: 4).
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY
- METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH
- THE RESEARCH SITE
- SAMPLING
- METHODS AND TECHNIQUES
- ETHICAL ISSUES
Given the veil of secrecy surrounding the HIV/AIDS pandemic, identifying affected children has proven extremely difficult. Gray, Lyons, and Melton identify respect for persons and their privacy as key ethical issues in HIV/AIDS research.
CHAPTER OUTLINE
Chapter four focuses on the presentation, analysis, results and discussion of data collected from the focus groups. Then, relevant results of this study and a discussion of the results in relation to the theoretical and conceptual tools are presented.
INTRODUCTION
BARRIERS TO LEARNING
- DEFINITION OF THE TERM 'BARRIER'
- THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACT OF HIV/AIDS
- POVERTY
- HIGH COST OF EDUCATION
- THE CHALLENGES TO FAMILY RESPONSIBILITY
- SOCIAL DISCRIMINATION
- HEALTH
- VIOLENCE/CRIME
- GENDER
- ABUSE
Researchers also agree that the death of a parent has a significant impact on family finances (Malaney 2000, Giese 2002 and Moletsane 2003). One form of social discrimination experienced by children affected by the pandemic is stigmatization.
SUPPORT SYSTEMS FOR AFFECTED CHILDREN
SCHOOL-BASED SUPPORT
Each school will need to develop its own model of support in relation to the needs of that specific school. The task of the teams will be to support the learning and development process by addressing the needs of individual learners and the needs within the system. Baxen and Breidlid state that education is vital in preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS.
COMMUNITY-BASED SUPPORT
They save lives and form the core of care and support in these communities, although what they do is often not structured or co-ordinated. In the School Youth HIVIAIDS program implemented in Magu District in Tanzania, local communities are represented in the schools' HIV/AIDS committees (Rugalema and Khanye 2002:34). Instead of having parents as antagonists, they actually play a role not only in contributing resources to the programs, but they also support the teachers who are responsible for guidance and counseling.
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
CRITICAL THEORY
Critical theorists seek to emancipate those trampled by those in power and to be a voice for the voiceless. Their goal is the total emancipation of every human being from all forms of oppression, whether class, race, gender or political (Higgs & Smith 1997: 157). Consequently, this study seeks to expose the educational injustices experienced by students affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic, as well as how these injustices are perpetuated.
OPPRESSION
- THE CONCEPT 'OPPRESSION'
- THE THEORY OF OPPRESSION
Young (1990) identifies five characteristics (faces) - exploitation, marginalization, powerlessness, cultural imperialism and violence - of oppressed groups. These individuals or groups often receive disrespectful treatment due to their powerless status. When investigating the vulnerability of a child, the overall effects of the child's risk factors are taken into account.
SUMMARY
The risk factors are the factors that challenge a child biologically, environmentally and psychosocially and lead to the likelihood of a harmful outcome.
INTRODUCTION
METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH
LOCATING THE STUDY
PARTICIPATORY METHODOLOGY
METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION
METHODS USED IN THE FOCUS GROUPS
TECHNIQUES USED IN THE FOCUS GROUPS
- PROJECTIVE TECHNIQUES
- DRAWING EXERCISES
The projective techniques used asked the participants to think about a picture of a child in relation to certain questions. The body map involved participants getting to know each other and drawing an outline of each other's bodies. The participants were then asked to write their feelings and experiences about HIV/AIDS on the outline of their body map.
THE RESEARCH INSTRUMENT
DESIGN OF THE RESEARCH INSTRUMENT
This section started with an ice breaker that was used to build trust and rapport with the participants. This section started with refreshing the groups about the rules to be followed and an ice breaker. Several open and closed questions were asked covering the sub-themes disease, HIV/AIDS in general and HIV/AIDS in your area.
TRIALING OF THE INSTRUMENT
Open and closed questions were asked about the sub-themes of access to support, feelings about HIVIAIDS, absence and dealing with death.
THE RESEARCH SITE
SAMPLING TECHNIQUES
ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
A letter (see Appendix B, page 82) in IsiZulu (home language of the parents/guardians) outlining the purpose of the study, the nature of the activities in which their children would be involved, an assurance of anonymity of the identities of their children and confidentiality of all information provided by their children was given by the researcher. Furthermore, the manager of the Day Care Center (who is an IsiZulu first language speaker) explained to the parents/guardians the aims and objectives of the study. This letter written in IsiZulu (home language of the children) also set out the purpose of the study, the nature of the activities in which they would be involved, an assurance of anonymity of their identity and confidentiality of the information provided .
THE RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS
Since the data collection had to take place through focus groups where the participants would be exposed to the individual stories of the other participants, the researcher had to ensure that the concept of confidentiality was fully understood. Furthermore, at the start of the project, all participants made oral promises to keep all information disclosed during the focus groups confidential. Mbesuma lives with his grandmother who takes care of him, his brother and his sister.
ADMINISTERING THE INSTRUMENT
To ensure that all participants were present at the next session, the researcher decided to enlist the help of the volunteers at the center. After explaining the aims and objectives of the project to the volunteers, they were extremely willing to offer their help to ensure the presence of the participants at the next session. After the co-researchers obtained access to the biographical and background information of the remaining five participants, the focus group sessions were conducted.
ANALYSIS OF THE DATA
LIMITATIONS OF STUDY
SUMMARY
INTRODUCTION
PRESENTATION OF DATA
BARRIERS TO LEARNING
- POVERTY
- SOCIAL EXCLUSION
- FAMILY RESPONSIBILITY
- CRIME AND VIOLENCE
- ABUSE
- EMOTIONAL TRAUMA
Another participant, responding to the same story, suggested that as a result of not having food in the home, children will be reluctant to go to school because a hungry child will not be able to learn. Two of the participants in commenting on their own situation indicated that although the school. Due to the death of their parents, all six participants in this study indicated that they have to live with other caregivers, namely grandparents.
ACCESSING SUPPORT FOR AFFECTED CHILDREN
- MULTI-SECTORAL SUPPORT
- FINANCIAL SUPPORT
Participants were asked to reflect on some of the experiences in their lives using drawings (maps of our lives). Almost all participants talked about the help from clinics and hospitals, traditional healers, faith healers, church organizations and family members. Only three of the participants indicated that their grandparents receive child benefit.
EMERGING TRENDS AND PATTERNS FROM THE DATA
- POVERTY
- FAMILY RESPONSIBILITY
- CRIME, VIOLENCE AND ABUSE
- EMOTIONAL TRAUMA
- MULTI-SECTORAL SUPPORT
- FINANCIAL SUPPORT
Another finding: Meeting family needs often results in affected children not attending school. Data from this study show that when parents fall ill due to a pandemic, the responsibility of caring for the family falls on the children. The economy contributes to the oppression of those individuals who are marginalized by the pandemic.
SUMMARY
Government in a neoliberal state must practice fiscal discipline – spend less so as not to compete with the private sector (Pape 1998:2). This essentially means reducing government spending on social welfare and other social matters. services. With the reduction of social welfare budgets, the need for social support often exceeds the supply. Given such a scenario, the government's interests are at work in not giving an application to individuals who are eligible for such grants.
INTRODUCTION
CONCLUSIONS
In fact, they are intertwined and sometimes have a cumulative effect as a barrier to learning for disabled children. The children in this study had a satisfactory understanding of the multi-sectoral support available to disabled children. Given the country's neoliberal economic policy, budgets for such grants are often inadequate.
RECOMMENDATIONS
This will ensure that affected children have the financial means to take care of their needs. Given the emotional trauma of losing a parent due to a pandemic, there is a great need for bereavement counseling for affected children. Affected children could be assigned a mentor teacher who supervises the child's work and guides and supports him.
RECOMMENDATION FOR FURTHER RESEARCH
To ensure that an affected child's schoolwork does not suffer if the child is out of school for a period of time, SMTs must be creative in designing an academic support program for the affected child.
SUMMARY
Research on HIV/AIDS and Education in Sub-Saharan Africa: Examining the Gaps and Challenges. Journal of Education, 34: 9-29. MIVIAIDS and the education sector: the foundations of a control and management strategy in South Africa. Mapping HIV/AIDS as a barrier to education: a reflection on the methodological and ethical challenges for child participation.Journal ofEducation, 35: 75-97.
Sources of Finance
Housing Issues and Household Resources
School Fees
Community Issues
Explain to students that their code name is their research name and that any information they speak about will be recorded under their code name so that no one else knows who said it. A student says their code name, then calls another person by their code name and throws the ball to that person. If something upsets them, encourage students to talk about it in the group (preferably because it is likely to bother others) or to come to you afterwards.
FAMILY RESPONSIBILITY
SOCIAL DISCRIMINATION
ROAD OF LIFE
DISCUSSION OF LIKES AND DISLIKES Purpose: To determine the emotional well-being of learners
Now complete the outline drawing of yourself that shows in your body how you feel about HIV/AIDS, your experiences and feelings about HIV/AIDS. Purpose: To determine the extent to which HIV/AIDS-related death affects children. Ask students to imagine what would happen if Thobek's mother dies. In groups we will also ask what you know about illness and diseases such as HIV/AIDS.
