IMPACT OF HIVAIDS ON HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

1
IMPACT OF HIV/AIDS ON HIGHER EDUCATION
INSTITUTIONS

• Barnabas Otaala, Ed.D.
• Email otaala.barnabas_at_gmail.com or
  lotaala_at_unam.na
  

2
OUTLINE OF PRESENTATION

• Introduction
• Overview of the HIV/AIDS situation in Africa
• Impact of HIV/AIDS on Higher Education
  Institutions
  
• Examples of good practice
• Barriers or constraints and challenges
• Where do we go from here? Partnerships and
  collaboration
  
• Concluding Remarks

3

• INTRODUCTION

• HIV/AIDS is unequivocably the most devastating
  disease we have faced, and it will get worse
  before it gets better Dr. Peter Piot, Executive
  Director (UNAIDS) November 2001.
• This statement was prophetic, as the disease has
  spread from a few homosexuals in California to
  
• people of all ages, sexes, colour, around the
  world
  
• rich and poor
• unborn babies
• and it has left orphans and other vulnerable
  children (OVCs) in its trail
  
• We briefly examine the situation in Africa, in
  particular.

4
OVERVIEW OF THE HIV/AIDS SITUATION IN AFRICA (1)

• In 2005 an estimated 40.3 million people were
  living with HIV, of whom 25.8 million were in
  Sub-Saharan Africa.
  
• In that year the number of people newly infected
  with HIV was 4.9 million of whom 3.2 million were
  in Sub-Saharan Africa.
  
• Also, the number AIDS-related deaths was 3.1
  million were from Sub-Saharan Africa.
  

5
OVERVIEW OF THE HIV/AIDS SITUATION IN AFRICA (2)

• The epicentre of the epidemic is clearly in
  Sub-Saharan Africa.
  
• Other parts, like the South and South East Asia,
  as well as the Carribean have their share of
  suffering.
  
• The burden in Sub-Saharan Africa is that much
  greater when it is remembered that it has only
  10 of the worlds population.
  

6
Impacts in Sub-Saharan Africa (1)
HIV/AIDS goes beyond statistics
It is at the heart of our lives, touching things
we touch and affecting people we love. As Mungai
(2001) put sit They (statistics) do not describe
the processes of the lives, the illnesses and
deaths of people tested. It is the lives of
whole generations of AIDS orphans who will miss
education, including the lives of those who end
up in the streets, in prostitution and in deeper
poverty unless they are cared for. It is the
overwhelming problems experienced by relatives
due to the sheer number of AIDS orphans under
their care. It is the agony of children who wa
tch their lonely parents die in pain. In other
families the parents are unable to earn a living
yet in others the extended family has broken down.
7
Impacts in Sub-Saharan Africa (2)

• It is the economic problem of orphans managing
  households as well as the nutritional problems
  involved and the efforts made by AIDS orphans to
  grow food. It is concerned with the poor health
  care that AIDS orphans get.
• Teacher deaths are recorded everywhere
• Consequently the result has been reduction in
  quality of education, due to increases in class
  numbers for the few remaining teachers, and
  inability to teach effectively due to ill-health
  of the remaining teachers.
• Those who have died through AIDS were fathers,
  and mothers, and brothers and sisters, dear
  friends they were doctors and nurses primary
  school teachers, electrical engineers community
  leaders finance managers entrepreneurs,
  researchers, and communal farmers trying to lift
  their families out of poverty (World Bank,
  2000).

8
IMPACT ON HEI

• A number of case studies have been conducted and
  synthesized in the following documents
  
• Kelly, M.J. (2001) Challenging the Challenger
  Understanding and Expanding the Response of
  Universities in Africa to HIV/AIDS
  
• Abebe, H.G. (2004) African Universities Response
  to HIV/AIDS in the Global AIDS Initiative
  countries A Synthesis of Country Reports
  
• UNESCO (2006) Expanding the Field of Inquiry A
  cross-country study of Higher Education
  Institutions response to HIV and AIDS
  
• Van Wyk, B and Pieterse J. (2006) Institutional
  Responses to HIV/AIDS from Institutions of Higher
  Education in the Southern African Development
  Community. Pretoria, CSA

9
In the Kelly report a number of Institutions
covered included the following-

• Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and
  Technology
  
• University of Nairobi
• University of Zambia
• University of Namibia
• University of Ghana
• University of Western Cape
• University of Benin (Contonou)
• Université d Abobo Adjamé (RCI)

10
In the Abebe report the countries covered
included

• Nigeria
• Rwanda
• South Africa
• Tanzania
• Uganda
• Zambia

• Botswana
• Ivory Coast
• Ethiopia
• Kenya
• Mozambique
• Namibia

11
In the UNESCO Study the institutions and
countries covered were

• University of Ovagadougou Burkina Faso
• University of Kinshasha, Democratic Republic of
  Congo
  
• National University of Lesotho Lesotho
• University of Brasilia Brazil
• Anton de Kom University of Suriname Suriname
• Pontificia Universidad Catolica Madrey Maestra
  Dominican Republic
  

• University of Quisqueya Haiti
• University of West Indies West Indies
• American University of Beirut Lebanon
• Reumin University of China China
• Chiang Mai University Thailand
• Hanoi University of Education - Vietnam

12
The van Wyk and Piertse study covered all the
Public Higher Education Institutions in SADC

• Angola
• Botswana
• DR Congo
• Lesotho
• Madagascar
• Malawi

Mauritius Mozambique Namibia South Africa Tanz
ania
Zambia Zimbabwe
13
THE TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR KELLY REPORT WERE
INTER ALIA TO RESPOND TO THE FOLLOWING QUESTION

• In what ways have the universities concerned been
  affected by HIV/AIDS?
  
• How have the universities reacted to these
  impacts?
  
• What steps are the universities taking to control
  and limit the further spread of the disease on
  their campuses?
  
• What HIV/AIDS related teaching, research,
  publication and advisory services have the
  universities taken?
  
• How do the Universities propose to anticipate and
  address the larger impact of HIV/AIDS on the
  national labour market for university graduates?
  
• Subsequent reports were seeking information
  similar to that sought in the case studies that
  Kelly synthesized.

14
UNSETTLING RESULTS (1)
1. A thick cloak of ignorance surrounds the
presence of the disease in the Universities.
This cloak is amply lined with layers of secrecy,
silence, denial, and fear of stigmatization and
discrimination (Kelly, 2001) 2. HIV/AIDS is hav
ing a serious impact on the fiscal situation of
the University in much the same way as it does
other institutions. It increases operating
costs, reduces productivity (especially through
high absenteeism) diverts resources, and
threatens sources of income. 3. The University i
n Africa is a high risk institution for the
transmission of HIV. Sugar-daddy practices,
sexual experimentation, prostitution on campus
(ccc-phenomenon!) unprotected sex gender
violence, multiple partners, were all manifested
to a greater or lesser degree.
15
UNSETTLING RESULTS (2)

• 4. Kelly says the case studies are shot through
  with concern about the subordinate status of
  female students and, in particular, their
  inability to negotiate for either no sex or safer
  sexual practices. He speaks about consensual
  rape, consent under duress to intercourse in
  order to preserve a relationship, avoid a
  beating, ensure financial support, or repay
  favours. The case studies suggest the prevailing
  climate on university campuses may encourage such
  violence and thereby facilitate the spread of
  HIV/AIDS. (Kelly, 2001)
• 5. Considerable disarray, inadequate
  understanding and piecemeal response in its
  attempts to manage the impact of HIV/AIDS.
  
• 6. The sector appears to be responding to the
  demands of the disease almost randomly. It has
  some projects, but few programmes. It is going
  in all directions at once.
• 7. There is considerable uncertainty, limited
  understanding, lack of coordination, absence of
  well-developed action plans.

16
EXAMPLES OF GOOD PRACTICE (1)

• HIV/AIDS POLICY DEVELOPMENT
• University of Namibia
• Mombasa Polytechnic
• University of Botswana
• Nkumba University, Entebbe, Uganda
• Highridge Teachers Training College, Nairobi
• A number of South African Universities

17
EXAMPLES OF GOOD PRACTICE (2)

• COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
• Home-based Care Programmes
• Youth Radio Station (UNAM)
• House-to-House Counselling
• My Future is My Choice Programme
• Stepping Stones Programme
• Certificate courses and/or Modules
• Training Community leaders in HIV/AIDS
• Involvement in Community Improvement Projects

18

• BARRIERS OR CONSTRAINTS AND CHALLENGES (1)

• The ACU (2001) Lusaka report identifies the
  following as barriers to change
  
• Lack of high level commitment
• Lack of necessary structures for implementation
• Lack of empirical evidence of the scope and scale
  of the problem
  
• Lack of resources (human and financial)
• Lack of buy-in from the campus community
• Limited access into the academic curriculum

19
BARRIERS OR CONSTRAINTS AND CHALLENGES (2)

• Kelly (2001) indicates as a challenge the need
  for a comprehensive HIV Prevention Programme the
  first requirement of which is total management
  commitment which runs through and drives each of
  the following
• HIV/AIDS policy and strategy development
• Developing culturally appropriate prevention
  messages
  
• Tackling socio-economic factors
• Establishing partnerships
• Sustaining awareness and education
• Challenging denial and stigma
• Situating prevention in a community context
• Linking care to prevention
• Rigorous scientific reflection

20
Leadership on HIV and AIDS

• In all the reports there is a reiteration on the
  need for leadership
  
• The evidence is abundant that higher education
  institutions can if they choose play a
  critical role in the struggle against HIV and
  AIDS - - one factor stands out in almost every
  example of a strong and well conceived response
  to HIV and AIDS in the higher education
  community leadership - - Leaders can and do
  change attitudes leadership is the key to
  driving management structures to mobilising
  resources, overcoming barriers, and making
  resources available ACU, 2002

21

• WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? (1)

• Need for Commitment at personal, moral, political
  and social levels
  
• Prevention has to be the main priority.
  Prevention has to extend on a continuum of
  prevention, care, and to the mitigation of the
  impact of the epidemic on individuals and
  institutions
• There is a need to design and implement
  strategies that are as comprehensive as the virus
  itself. We must have prevention, and a continuum
  of care and treatment within one paradigm. - -
  Graca Machel Mandela

22
6. WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? (2)

• Top-down commitment and support is essential
• The need for health promoting institutions
  involving
  
• mainstreaming HIV/AIDS in institutions
  creating an enabling environment
  
• quantifying the product of health promoting in
  terms of KAP/B competencies, and values

23

• PARTNERSHIPS AND COLLABORATION (1)

• Partnership to prevent youth infection WB
  programme Window of hope
  
• Collaboration with COL ODL in conjunction with
  UNESCO on ODL programmes
  
• Collaboration with UNESCO UNESCO/UNITWIN
  Chairs on HIV/AIDS as in the West Indies
  
• Collaboration with FAWE

24
7. PARTNERSHIPS AND COLLABORATION (2)

• Collaboration with Women in Higher Education and
  Science on HIV/AIDS
  
• Collaboration with UN Girls Education Initiative
  (UNGEI)
  
• Collaboration with AAU and ACU Africa
  Commission Report
  
• SARUA
• Collaboration with NEPAD

25
8. CONCLUDING REMARKS

• African tertiary institutions have a significant
  role to play in development efforts including the
  fight against HIV/AIDS
  
• HIV can be prevented
• The need for partnership and collaboration is
  axiomatic
  
• - greater N/S and S/S contacts need to be made
• I believe in the 3Ws We Will Win

26
A Favourite quoteIn a time of drastic change
it is the learners who survive the learned
find themselves fully equipped to live in a world
that no longer exists
27
THANK YOU !!!