IATT

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It is critical that young people most-at-risk of HIV infection are better informed and equipped with skills to protect themselves. This was a key argument emerging from an international symposium convened to address the education sector’s response to the challenge of HIV among this key population.

Held in Berlin in early December, the meeting of the UNAIDS Inter-agency Task Team (IATT) on Education was hosted by German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). It brought together some 70 experts from around the world to discuss concrete ways forward to reach, with prevention messages, the most vulnerable young people already engaging in high-risk behaviour, such as multiple partnerships, inter-generational sex, unprotected male-to-male sex, sex work or injecting drug use.

Young people in general are especially vulnerable to the virus. According to the UNAIDS 2009 AIDS Epidemic Update, those aged 15-24 account for 40% of all new infections. This is exacerbated by the fact that only 40% of young people in the same age group have accurate knowledge about HIV and transmission. Helping youth avoid infection is seen as crucial for social and economic development, and providing them with AIDS-related knowledge and skills is a central concern of the UNAIDS IATT on Education.

Reaching those who have never been to school or who have dropped out early and left the formal education sector represents a particular challenge and the symposium examined a range of possible approaches to reach vulnerable adolescents and youth both in and out of school, looking at specifically targeted responses.

Ishita Chaudhry from the YP Foundation in India noted that while sexuality was a fundamental component of being human there was a failure to get basic information to young people to help protect them from HIV infection. “Why is sexuality so problematic?” she asked.

According to Dr Robert Carr, the Associate Director of the International Council of AIDS Service Organizations (ICASO) and keynote speaker, young people are too often “left to fend for themselves”, receiving inadequate preparation for their sexual and reproductive lives.

Fear, stigma and discrimination, laws and policies were identified as barriers to meeting the needs of those most vulnerable and ensuring their involvement in developing and implementing interventions. According to Els Klinkert, Senior Policy Adviser at UNAIDS, the “most-at-risk young people in low and concentrated epidemics are largely invisible”. This notion of invisibility was also invoked by Dr. Carr referring to gay and bisexual youth in the Caribbean. “Hidden behaviours” and limited frank discussions about these behaviours were seen to be problematic.

Symposium participants were able to review existing data on education sector approaches to HIV prevention; exchange ideas and experiences; and develop recommendations for outreach strategies that target young people in inclusive and gender-sensitive ways.

The sector was seen to play a role in multiple aspects of the response for most-at-risk young people. It was noted, firstly, that schools often extend farther into many communities than most public services – and have the potential to reach children and young people before they engage in most-at-risk behaviours. Secondly, good quality education that focuses on empowerment within safe and protective environments has a sustained impact on reducing vulnerability and behaviours that create, increase or perpetuate risk. Thirdly, comprehensive sexuality education – which addresses sexual and reproductive health, human rights, HIV prevention, gender, drugs and other aspects – was seen to equip learners with the necessary knowledge and skills to make informed decisions.

There was a shared understanding that young people should be at the heart of HIV programming, not just as passive recipients of information and services but as involved actors and that this is critical when developing and implementing HIV interventions. The statement issued by youth representatives at the meeting reinforced this point: “We demand the meaningful involvement of diverse youth communities, especially young people living with HIV as they are the key role models and leaders in the movement…We young people are here living, working, and ready to take responsibility along with your support and mentorship. We are not future leaders, we are leaders of today.”

Empowering young people to protect themselves from HIV is one of the nine priority focus areas for UNAIDS and its Cosponsors under the Joint action for results: UNAIDS outcome framework 2009-2011.

Formed in 2002, the IATT on Education is convened by UNESCO and brings together UNAIDS Cosponsors, bilateral agencies, private donors and civil society partners with the purpose of accelerating and improving a coordinated and harmonised education sector response to HIV.

The education sector plays a critical role in national responses to the HIV epidemic. However, this contribution is often poorly appreciated and understood due to limited, difficult-to-measure data and the absence of agreement on core indicators for the sector.

To assist ministries of education and their partners in measuring progress and outcomes of related efforts, a host of international experts met in London on 9-10 November to develop a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework for education sector responses to AIDS. This framework aims to assist ministries of education and other partners in outlining and measuring the main programme outputs and outcomes of the education sector, facilitating the development of effective, results-focused interventions.

Convened by the Partnership for Child Development (PCD) of Imperial College, on behalf of the Indicators Working Group of the UNAIDS Inter-Agency Task Team (IATT) on Education, the experts attending the meeting included individuals with significant expertise in M&E, in education sector responses and with a great deal of programme experience. Programme managers from Southern Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and South and South-East Asia attended.

The meeting built on a review of existing indicators used to monitor education sector HIV responses undertaken by PCD on behalf of the UNAIDS IATT on Education Indicators Working Group. It also contributed to an effort underway by a wide range of partners associated with the FRESH (Focusing Resources on Effective School Health) Initiative to develop an M&E framework for school-based health and nutrition and HIV prevention interventions.

As well as reaching agreement on appropriate priorities for the monitoring and evaluation of the sector’s work, the meeting also achieved consensus on prioritising indicators that could be used.

Indicators examined included those helping the education sector address the following questions:

1. Within the context of a national AIDS response, is there a response in the education sector that is guided and enabled by policy, strategy and resources?

2. Is HIV, reproductive and sexual health education a timetabled subject delivered in schools? Is it mandatory and assessed? Are HIV-related life skills delivered through co-curricular means?

3. Are educators receiving pre-service and in-service training about HIV (for themselves) and about teaching HIV to students?

4. Is the education sector facilitating testing, treatment, care and support services for learners and educators? Are measures in place to make schools safe and protective environments?

In addition to indicators to measure these short-term outcomes, the group also considered intermediate outcomes such as knowledge about HIV and those of a long-term nature such as age of sexual debut.

The draft M&E framework and proposed indicators will be presented to the UNAIDS IATT on Education at its meeting on 2-4 December 2009 in Berlin, Germany. Anticipated next steps include field-testing the new proposed indicators, and refining the definitions of existing ones. This will be taken forward by members of the IATT on Education’s Indicators Working Group in early 2010, in consultation with ministries of education and national partners.

According to Michael Beasley, director of Partnership for Child Development at Imperial College, “Getting things right in the education sector’s monitoring and evaluation of its response to HIV is essential if it is to provide a ‘social vaccine’ to the epidemic, offering knowledge and personal skills which can prevent HIV.” He added, “It is estimated that young people who fail to complete a basic education are more than twice as likely to become infected as those who do. Education also reduces the vulnerability of girls, and each year of schooling offers greater protective benefits.”

Empowering young people to protect themselves from HIV is one of the nine priority areas for UNAIDS and its Cosponsors under the Joint Action for Results: UNAIDS Outcome Framework 2009-2011.

Formed in 2002, the UNAIDS IATT on Education is convened by UNESCO and brings together UNAIDS Cosponsors and other multilateral organisations, bilateral agencies, private donors and civil society partners with the purpose of accelerating and improving a coordinated and harmonised education sector response to HIV.

The global online forum will give teachers and their partners the chance to exchange ideas and expertise on how to challenge HIV more effectively
Credit: UNAIDS G. Pirozzi

Teachers have a critical role to play in mounting a successful response to HIV in schools and yet evidence of effective teacher involvement in the challenge to the epidemic is scarce and scattered and lessons learned have not been universally discussed and shared.

In order to review progress made and identify ways forward, UNESCO's International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) and the UNAIDS Inter-Agency Task Team on Education are organizing an E-Forum on ‘Teachers and HIV & AIDS: Reviewing achievements, identifying challenges’ from 18 to 29 May 2009.

The forum will bring together a wide range of actors including educational planners, policy-makers, representatives of teachers' unions and teaching staff, networks of teachers living with HIV, civil society groups, donors, UNAIDS cosponsors and other multilateral agencies. They will exchange views and experiences and explore how teachers can capitalize on their influence and expertise to mitigate the effects of an epidemic which is having a profound and negative impact on schools and entire education systems.

In many countries, curricula now include AIDS-related content and teachers themselves are often taking the lead. For example, the South African Democratic Teachers’ Union is building institutional capacity, providing training to support colleagues in examining their own vulnerability to infection, their awareness about HIV and their attitudes towards helping others avoid infection. Educators in general are given an important responsibility to ensure that children and young people acquire essential knowledge, skills and attitudes for prevention and that, in higher prevalence settings, pupils infected with and affected by HIV have access to care and support.

Credit: UNESCO

Without teachers, the endeavour to provide Education for All, which aims to meet the learning needs of every child, youth and adult by 2015, cannot be achieved. However, these professionals face profound challenges, including often difficult working environments (overcrowded classrooms, lack of materials) and poor or non-existent training. In many contexts, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, teachers are profoundly affected by HIV. According to UNAIDS and WHO, in Zambia, for example, it is estimated that teacher illness (often AIDS-related) and the responsibilities of caring for family members, including attending funerals, account for over 60% of teacher absences. Additionally, stigma and discrimination, gender inequality, concerns around morality, cultural issues and relationships between teachers and students can make the environment in which school-based AIDS education occurs highly complex.

According to a joint statement by Mark Richmond, UNESCO’s Global Coordinator on HIV and AIDS and Mark Bray, Director of UNESCO’s IIEP, “The AIDS epidemic is raising many issues for the teaching profession, particularly in high prevalence settings.”

“This forum promises to be a valuable opportunity for teachers and other stakeholders to share their knowledge and experience and, even more importantly, to enable the voices of teachers to be heard by all those responding to the challenges posed by HIV,” they continued.

The outcomes of the Forum will feed directly into the Spring Meeting of the UNAIDS IATT on Education, hosted by Irish Aid, the Irish government’s assistance programme for developing nations. Taking place in June this year, the meeting has 'Teachers and HIV & AIDS: Reviewing achievements, identifying challenges' as its Symposium theme.

A report on the discussion will also be more widely available at the IIEP's HIV and AIDS Education Clearinghouse.

The Forum will invite the exchange of views on four interrelated sub-topics:

    1. Involving teachers in HIV prevention - policy and management implications

    2. Coverage and content of pre- and in- service training for teachers

    3. The role of teachers in child protection and promotion of safe and healthy school environments

    4. Supportive and enabling environments for teachers affected by HIV

All four sub-topics will be accessible over the course of the Forum which will be animated by e-moderators (IIEP and UNAIDS IATT Secretariat staff), with daily syntheses of discussions and commentary to guide further debate on these issues.

To join the Forum, please send an e-mail message to: hiv-aids-clearinghouse@iiep.unesco.org, stating your name, title, organization and nationality. You will then be sent detailed instructions on how to access the Forum and contribute to the discussion.

Please note that you can sign up at any time prior to or during the Forum but that it will be active only from 18 May.

For more information on the IATT Symposium in Ireland, please contact: info-iatt@unesco.org 

Recognizing the vital role of the education sector in national responses to HIV, the UNAIDS Committee of Cosponsoring Organizations (CCO) launched EDUCAIDS in March 2004.

EDUCAIDS is the UNAIDS Global Initiative on Education and AIDS. It is led by UNESCO in collaboration with governments, UN partners, and civil society organizations. The initiative seeks to promote, develop and support comprehensive education sector responses to HIV.

EDUCAIDS has two primary aims: to prevent the spread of HIV through education and to protect the core functions of the education system from the worst effects of the epidemic including the loss of teachers and other education professionals to the disease.

EDUCAIDS Resource Pack

As countries put in place and implement comprehensive, scaled-up responses towards universal access to HIV prevention programmes, treatment, care and support, EDUCAIDS aims to mobilize the education sector and has recently published a Resource Pack developed by UNESCO in close collaboration with a range of UN agencies and international organizations, including members of the UNAIDS Inter-Agency Task Team (IATT) on Education.

This resource pack is designed to support ministries of education and other stakeholders at the country level. It aims to give technical guidance on developing and implementing policies, determining resource allocations and implementing programmes for education and HIV.

In 2007, representatives from 60 countries participated in EDUCAIDS-related activities, with progress achieved in developing comprehensive HIV and AIDS education strategies in over half of these. National priority actions were identified in 39 countries for continued follow-up through seven sub-regional capacity-building workshops.

Capacity for policy development and programme implementation was further enhanced through technical assistance and information exchange including two UNESCO-supported sub-regional consultations in East and Southern Africa on addressing the needs of HIV-positive teachers and on strengthening the role of schools in HIV treatment, care and support.

Currently available in English, the Resource Pack will soon be published in Arabic, Chinese, French, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. All language versions will also be included in a forthcoming CD-ROM.

Limited copies of the Resource Pack can be ordered free-of-charge by emailing aids@unesco.org and specifying the number of copies and preferred language version.

The resource pack contains the following materials:

1. EDUCAIDS Framework for Action
   This outlines five essential components of comprehensive education sector responses to HIV implementation support available through the EDUCAIDS initiative. This version is an update of the 2006 Framework, taking into account the 2007 UNESCO Strategy to Respond to HIV, as well as feedback from six recent regional and sub-regional meetings and workshops involving nearly 40 countries.
2. EDUCAIDS Technical Briefs
   These are 35 two-page summaries of key issues related to a comprehensive education sector response. Each brief can be used as a stand-alone reference, and together they offer comprehensive and flexible guidelines on the continuum of activities required to respond to the epidemic at the country level.
3. EDUCAIDS Overviews of Practical Resources
   These overviews provide guidance on the technical and operational aspects of the response.  Each includes a resource summary list and a two-page analysis of the included resources identifying crucial resource gaps, needs for further research, and additional online resources.