By Frederick Philander
WINDHOEK
Despite a number of government efforts to reduce the spread and impact of HIV/AIDS in the education sector its incidence continues to show a slight increase.
This was last week said by the Minister of Education, Nangolo Mbumba, who officiated at a one-day workshop at which the findings of a specialized task force on HIV/AIDS in the education sector were announced.
“The Government welcomes the support of our development partners to help us stop this worrisome trend in the education sector in which teachers and learners constitute the core target group in the fight against the pandemic, in which there are 20 000 teachers and 500 000 learners who can benefit from such targeted interventions,” Mbumba said.
He is confident that his ministry’s Workplace Wellness Pogramme will reach all 20 000 teachers.
“We are already running two life skills programmes, My Future, My Choice and Window of Hope for learners. Commendable as they are, all of these interventions must be grounded on empirical evidence as well as be linked directly to the real needs of teachers and learners as far as the pandemic is concerned,” he said.
USAID has conducted a pilot survey on knowledge, skills and practices with regard to HIV/AIDS among Namibian teachers.
“These results will be utilized for developing and implementing targeted, relevant interventions. The results will also allow for baselines to be set so that we can measure progress over time and change or redirect efforts found not to be achieving the desired goals,” he told the experts.
The task group made eleven strong recommendations to be implemented by the Ministry of Education.
“Not even 50% of our respondents received any formal AIDS education in the workplace. There were very few people receiving HIV testing or drug or alcohol treatment either at work or at a referral service from work. It is recommended that more such like services become available and be widely advertised among employees of the Ministry of Education,” the taskforce said.
It further emphasized that the idea of HIV/AIDS is not something to be ashamed of among employees.
“Respondents tended not to feel that they are at great risk of contracting HIV/AIDS, whereas a small percentage are indeed HIV positive. Although people tend to understand the gravity of the situation, there is still secrecy involved in having the illness. Thus, there is still much more room for education,” the taskforce said.
In the task force’s opinion there was uncertainty that using a condom with a non-regular partner helps prevent the transmission of HIV.
“It should be noted that although the majority of the people have basic knowledge about contracting AIDS, not everyone did. This is information is so important that there should be no ambiguities. Teach less widely understood information such as it is not safe to use an oil-based lubricant with a condom, and that circumcision helps reduce the risk of contracting AIDS,” they warned teachers.
They found that the majority of Namibian men were not circumcised and that the majority of women’s partners were not circumcised.
“It appears that the social norms regarding circumcision are more negative than positive. This is true for both men and women. However, there was a minority of respondents who argued that they would feel more positively about circumcision if there was proof that the practice will help prevent a man from contracting HIV.
“We recommend that the benefits of circumcision be taught, i.e. the circumcision of baby boys should be reinforced through knowledge acquisition as well as through personal testimony,” the taskforce said.
The survey also strongly recommended that the number of sex partners be drastically reduced.