Teacher’s perception of HIV/AIDS on the teaching of integrated HIV/AIDS education in secondary schools in Kwanza district

Abstract

The control of HIV/AlDs, requires multifaceted approach especially among the economically productive age group between 13-45 years, approach to controlling the disease should be aimed at targeting the youths. Many youths spend much of their time in school under the guidance of the teachers. Therefore, teachers can be the perfect tools in sensitizing them about HIV/AIDS. This study assessed the perception of the teachers towards HIV/AIDS and how it impacts their teaching of the HIV/AIDS education in schools within Kwanza District. The specific objectives were: to determine the teachers' knowledge concerning HIV/AIDS, to establish the teachers' perceptions towards HIV/AIDS education, to determine the ability of teachers to teach HIV/AIDS education to the students and teaching AIDS education in secondary schools. This study was guided by theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) proposed and extensively used by Bruce and Walker (2001), which, assumes that a person's behaviour is a function of his/her attitudes toward the behaviour as well as subjective norms. This study was conducted through survey design. Data on teachers' knowledge, perception, and ability to teach HIV/AIDS as well as challenges facing HIV /AIDS education was collected from a total of 160 teachers within Kwanza District. Data were collected through random sampling method. The instruments of data collection were both open and closed-ended structured questionnaires administered. Collected data was coded in Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS 13.51 and analyzed by descriptive statistics, frequency distribution, cross-tabulation and Chi-square (X2) goodness of fit tests. The study established that the knowledge among teachers of HIV/AIDS in secondary schools was high and differed among teachers from different types of schools and years of teaching experience. Moreover, most teachers had negative perceptions towards HIV/AIDS education and this differed with gender and number of years of teaching experience. However, the differences among teachers from different schools were not significant. Finally, most of the teachers were found to be ability to teach HIV/AIDS to their students, with more female teachers willing to teach students than the proportion of male teachers. Differences in ability to teach among the teachers were found to be unequivocal for teachers from different types of schools and teaching experience. The main challenges that were attested by the majority of the teachers were lack of HIV /AIDS education teaching resources, negative self perceptions, overcrowded curriculum, lack of peer counselling units, negative perceptions about talking about condoms j the fact that behavioural skills are not nurtured by the students. Based on the study findings, it was recommended that HIV /AIDS education should be incorporated in the health education programmes addressing whole range of problems among the students. Furthermore, an educational program dealing with HIV/AIDS requires that students have an understanding of their own physical and emotional development during adolescence, so that they can gain insight into their own and others' sexuality. Finally it is recommended that HIV/AIDS education be fully introduced in the national curriculum and be examined as part of life skills education and introduce courses on participatory teaching methods at teacher training' institutions and during in-service training programs.