HIV/Aids Education Added to School Curriculum

The Ministry of Education has included HIV/AIDS education in the school curriculum as a move to curb the spread of the communicable disease among the youth.

Launching the Education Sector HIV/AIDS strategic plan yesterday in Accra, Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi said all hands must be on deck to fight the menace which has left thousands of people hopeless. The Education Sector HIV/AIDS Plan is a strategic document developed to effectively control and co-ordinate all HIV/AIDS preventive programmes in educational institutions.

Professor Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi said life skills and HIV/AIDS syllabuses would be made examinable, anti-AIDS clubs in schools will be strengthened and teachers would be provided with HIV/AIDS counselling services.

According to him, secrecy, stigma and shame surrounding the disease compound the effects of all these risk behaviours.

"Networking and collaborating with other Ministries, Departments, Agencies and NGO's will be an essential aspect of the education campaign. We will have to produce and procure books, readers for learners and other supportive materials," he said.

Further, the minister called on Teachers' Unions and Associations to collaborate with the ministry with vigour to combat the disease. "I challenge all teachers and educators to join this war on HIV/AIDS regardless of rank, position or station at school."

He said teachers need to be orientated on how to tackle the many stigmas caused by the disease and that HIV/AIDS counselling teams need to be established at the workplace and in the schools.

A member of the Johns Hopkins University Centre for communication programmes, Mr. Emmanuel Fiagbey disclosed that over 70% of HIV infections worldwide occur through sex between men and women, and a further 10% through sex between men. Another 5% take place among people who inject drugs, four-fifths of whom are men.

The Minister of State for Education in charge of Primary, Secondary and Girl-child Education, Ms. Christine Churcher said to arrest the spread of the disease; people should avoid casual sex and avoid situations that could expose them to AIDS.