HIV preventive education information kit for school teachers
With HIV expanding across Asia, there is an urgent need to equip teachers with the knowledge and skills to play an effective role in HIV preventive education. This information kit attempts to provide teachers and teacher trainees with the basic information that they should know when teaching young people about HIV and AIDS. It is aimed at assisting and guiding school teachers in dealing with challenges related to HIV and AIDS in the school setting, including countering community resistance to HIV and AIDS education, addressing stigma and discrimination and reducing risk behaviours.
This collection of fact sheets covers a range of issues that are important for teachers to understand when teaching children at both primary and secondary levels.
The kit is organised as follows:
- The kit begins with basic bio-medical information about HIV and AIDS to allow readers to understand how infection can be averted. Understanding these facts about HIV can be useful in combating related myths and stigmatisation of children living with or affected by HIV and AIDS.
- The second part of the kit gives particular attention to describing the impact of HIV on families, communities and schools.
- A separate sheet addresses issues related to orphans and vulnerable children.
- The multiple roles of schools in fighting HIV and AIDS are outlined with a focus on preventive education and a life skills-based approach. The importance of linking schools and preventive education to HIV and AIDS-related services is described.
- Issues relating to vulnerability and risky behaviour are covered in the theme sheets on women and girls, men who have sex with men, and injecting drug use.
- Suggestions are made for further reading and a glossary of key terms is provided. (UNESCO 2008)