Impact of life skills training on HIV and AIDS prevention

This was a qualitative research where info al around the implementation were ga thered by interviews and management group discussions with chool principals, instructors and students. A sample distri andion of 4 principals, 8 determineers and 64 students was utilisationd in the cogitation. Students were assessed on fellowship, attitudes, lores and behavior. Results showed that students exhibited steep levels of familiarity of human immunodeficiency virus and support issues yet their behaviour remained incongruent with this knowledge.The carry in like manner revealed that effectiveness of this pr withalingtion outline is reduced referable to teachers perception of this subdivision of the curriculum as collateral, since they concentrate on examinable courses. From the research it was unequivocal that imited resources and conflicting goals in the development system had a negative bear upon on the plan. The research made clear the invite to profit the prepa rational activity of animation sk naughtilys more practical by exposing students to real action story situations through linkages with human immunodeficiency virus and back up organizations working within the club.Key Words bearing skills, Evaluation, doings variety show, BACKGROUND support is amongst the leading causes of deaths worldwide and has had insurmountable negative make on countries, in the socio-cultural, stinting and political domains. Different countries ache utilize different strategies in an effort o combat the devastating cause of human immunodeficiency virus and assist. Some of these strategies include increased condom availability and use, promotional solid of abstinence and life skills training amongst the youth in initiates and communities.According to The Global running(a) Group on human immunodeficiency virus and assist (1998 8) since human immunodeficiency virus infection is incessantly the result of human behaviour, change in behaviour has long been understood as essential to curbing the dispersed of 1 infection. This assertion is corroborated by Gachuhi (1999iv) who argues that in the absence of a cure, the best way to traverse with human immunodeficiency virus and AIDS is through pr horizontaltion by eveloping and/or changing behaviour and values.V prevention nas been approached trom ditterent angles most countries nave used primarily or at to the lowest degree included human immunodeficiency virus alertness and knowledge as a strategy to combat human immunodeficiency virus with the aim of changing peoples perceptions and attitudes as these ultimately influence their behaviour. Therefore the ultimate goal is then to collect them young and create an aw atomic number 18ness that can ease eradicate the spread of HIV and AIDS. Zimbabwe is amongst the countries that undertook a behaviour change establish approach to HIV prevention. As cited on the National AIDS Council (NAC) website ?theBehaviour Change Communic ation create by mental act started in 2006 after a Comprehensive Review of Behaviour Change as a means of preventing inner HIV transmission in Zimbabwe. A National Behaviour Change Strategy was then veritable after this review with the aim of addressing the major ways of HIV transmission in this province. It is assumed that between 80 and 90% of infections are callable to sexual transmission. Hence, promoting the adoption of safe sexual behaviours remains at the tit of HIV prevention in Zimbabwe (SAfAlDS, 2013).Zimbabwes focus was on basal prevention of HIV through behaviour change strategies. It has since recorded a decrease in HIV incidence. In 1997, an estimated 29% of adults were living with HIV in Zimbabwe. maven decade later in 2007, that number had fall to 16%. HIV prevalence in Zimbabwe declined from 23. 2% in 2003 and even get along to 14. 3% in 2009. (UNFPA, 2008). Different scholars and analysts give birth attributed this decline to assorted factors, resulti ng in a deal.One such analyst from News From Africa propounded that The behavioural changes associated with HIV reductionmainly reductions in extramarital, commercial, and casual sexual relations, and associated reductions in artner concurrency out to have been stimulated primarily by increased awareness of AIDS deaths and secondarily by the coun samples economic deterioration. Others have suggested increased mortality due to poor health service deli genuinely (Leach-Lemens 2012). There is consensus however that there is indeed a reduction in HIV prevalence in Zimbabwe and that there are indications of behaviour change. The authors conclude that these findings provide 2 the prototypal convincing evidence of an HIV decline accelerated by changes in sexual behaviour in a southern African country. (Gregson et al 2010). Gachuhi (1999 10) asserts that young people offer a window of hope in stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS if they have been reached by animation Skills Programmes. This assertion brings out the sizeableness that is placed in a countrys youth as it represents the countrys futurity.Zimbabwe as a nation identifies with this perspective and has nominate it laudable to invest in the future of its youth by making it a target group tor H V prevention education. even, the youth are taced with several challenges that as closely make them vulnerable to HIV. Kalanda (2010169) asserts that young people have demands and challenges due to their physiological, sychological, social and economic situations. Among these demands and challenges are peer pressure into drug and substance abuse, early sexual debut leading to sexually transmitted diseases (STs) including HIV.A review by UNICEF (2000) found that life skills education is effective in educating youth on alcohol, tobacco plant and early(a) drug abuse, nutrition, pregnancy prevention and preventing STs including HIV. Moya (2002) states that research demonstrates that possessing life skills whitethorn be critical to young peoples ability to positively adapt to and deal with the demands and challenges of life. According to Kalanda (2010172) the objective of manner skills and HIV and AIDS education is to clear pupils and their teachers with life skills for HIV prevention, sex and sexuality issues.This coincides with the research conducted for The Global supervise Report ?Youth and Skills Putting education to work which shows the importance of commit in life skills education in school to ensure children have the confidence and negotiating skills to say no to sex and negotiate condom use. Objectives of the study The study seeks to evaluate the implementation of the life skills and HIV and AIDS ducation computer programmes in schools as stipulated by the Ministry of Education? The study also seeks to assess the function of these life skills training programmes in Zimbabwean schools to HIV prevention.It aims to assess the levels of knowledge about HIV and AIDS, risk perception, a ttitudes and behaviour of the students in these schools. Challenges that present drawbacks in the implementation of these programmes pull up stakes hopefully be unearthed as well. 3 interrogation Questions 1. How is Life skills and HIV and AIDS education perceived as part of the curriculum by both teachers and students in schools? . Is the programme achieving its desired goals of change magnitude knowledge and decreasing doubtful behaviour? 3.Do the teachers assigned for life skills and HIV and AIDS education have the necessary training and material to use in the principle of this part of the curriculum? 4. What are the challenges faced by the teachers in imparting life skills and HIV and AIDS knowledge? Participants / smack The sample used in the study consisted of 4 principals, 8 teachers and 64 students. Purposive sampling was used for the selection of principals and teachers for the study from the respective schools. option of principals was automatic as the principal of each of the quadruple schools was involved trance 2 teachers were selected trom each ot the tour schools.The criterion used to select these teachers was that they were the ones liable within the school for Life skills and HIV and AIDS education. The students were selected using tell random sampling 16 students from each school, 8 from each of the forms four and six as they are about to leave school and go into ?the real world. There was an equal representation for both anthropoid and womanish student participants in the study. data collection instruments The study occupied interviews and focus group discussions as data collection instruments.Interviews were held with the principals and teachers while data from students was generated through focus group discussions. Data Collection Procedure Interviews were held separately with each of the principals and teachers in a bid to maintain confidentiality and promote receptiveness especially since some of the issues could be con sidered sensitive. Each principal availed conviction to the researchers for the focus group discussions to be held. The two researchers alternated in the facilitation f data multiplication from the interviews with the other researcher recording the proceedings.Focus group discussions were conducted for each of the four schools for the interest group of convenience and ease of access to the students. Two focus group discussions were held at each of the four schools one for the girls facilitated by the fe manly 4 researcher and the other one for the boys facilitated by the male researcher. This allowed for free participation and component part by students as they identified with a facilitator of their gender. Data analysis Data was analysed thematically according to the main ideas emerging from the nterviews and focus group discussions.RESULTS AND give-and-take Results Demography of participants The students who participated were in forms four and six and with an age range of 16 18 years. The sample in terms of gender was comprised of 32 female students and 32 male students. For the principals 3 were male whilst one was female. They all had a first degree as their minimum level of education. All the teachers had a Diploma in Education as their minimum qualification. In sum total to the diploma, 5 of the teachers also had a first degree. Knowledge about HIV and AIDS issuesThe students exhibited advanced levels of knowledge about HIV and AIDS issues. most students were aware ot the possible me tnods ot transmission ot H V They were able to mighty answer questions on methods of preventing HIV transmission even including ideas of their reliability for modeling highlighting the disadvantages of condom use even going into an interesting debate about the feasibility and challenges of consis decenniumt condom use in or out of marriage. The students referd that they knew that the best method of prevention from the virus was abstinence onward marriage.Basic k nowledge about the nature of HIV and AIDS, transmission and prevention appeared to be at their fingertips but when broadened to other areas of sexual procreative health the level of knowledge significantly reduced. Students were non aware of measures that could be taken to nurture their reproductive organs. Boys were better aware of male circumcision because of the national campaign advocating for male circumcision. Even girls were aware of the advantages of male circumcision. Very hardly a(prenominal) (17%) of both boys and girls were aware of procedures such as PAP SMEAR for the screening of cervical cancer.Most students were also non well versed with strategies and precautions to be taken during home based care of HIV positive individuals citing that they had never had to deal with an ill soulfulness on a personalized level. Only a few (36%) had had personal contact and real life experiences of helping to take care of or live in the same household with an HIV positive indiv idual. They hold though that most did have relatives infected by HIV. Very few students knew what life skills were and what the advantages of discloseing them were.The few who knew life skills indicated that they had learnt them in other ettings that were not school. They also indicated that their knowledge of life skills was minimal and they were not confident that other could apply these skills to the extent of claiming to possess them. Most of them could altogether name at most two life skills. Behaviour A significant administer of the students (35%) indicated that they were sexually agile whilst 80% indicated that they knew at least one adept who was sexually active amongst their friends of school-going age.The reasons given by some of them for engaging in sexual activity included Some of us will already have been sexually ctive when we first encounter such programmes so it very difficult to stop. Some have tried to do so but still find themselves engaging again. One feel s bad during the period that we will be learning these things but once we finish and with time the signature fades away. And also it is difficult to convince your boyfriend about such things as abstaining that you would have learnt at school. Some of those who said they were not sexually active stated that they did however fondle with their boyfriends but did not engage in intercourse. Despite displaying nowledge about male circumcision only 5% ot the boys admitted to having been circumcised. They acknowledged the importance but cited that they Just had not gotten round to getting it done though they intended to do so. The principals indicated that the number of female students dropping out of school due to teenage pregnancies had decreased significantly over the past ten years.They indicated that the mean number of drop outs was now 2 per year as compared to the 7-8 of previous years. Students perception of the programme The majority of students (90%) viewed the programme as insi gnificant citing that ven their teachers did not take it staidly. They conceded however that the material they could potentially learn from the programme was primal. They stated that given the pressure they sometimes 6 faced with rapprochement school work and responsibilities or chores at home there was very little time to concentrate on non-examinable courses, especially since they were approaching concluding examinations (Ordinary Level).They argued that there was no reason for them to focus on such a course when everywhere they went they also heard about HIV and AIDS. One student said Why would I risk failing the important ubjects that have to do with my future by concentrating on a content that I wont even be examined on and will not help me to get a place at high school, university or even a Job. There is no Job where they will ask you if you did life skills. Another student said Those who are interested in such things Join the AIDS club, that is why it is there. The study revealed that the programme was indeed viewed as being of slight importance. The students also highlighted that it was boring and a waste of time because most of what they learnt about HIV and AIDS they already knew and was like revise to them. Teachers perceptions of the programme The interviews also revealed that teachers thought that the Life skills and HIV and AIDS education programme was minor as compared to the marrow subjects they taught. So minor in fact that the implementation of this programme was inbuiltly at the discretion of the teacher assigned to do so.If the teacher chose not to there were no repercussions on their part. One teacher stated that With the state the Zimbabwean economy is in and the fact that teachers are grossly underpaid, we only do the work we absolutely have to do which is teaching the core subjects we are paid to teach. Life skills and HIV and AIDS are extra-curricular and not as important because no one will assess whether you have taught it or not whilst our teaching of core subjects will be reflected in the students results after examinations. The study revealed that 7 out of the 8 teachers (87. %) interviewed admitted to never having taught the module seriously as they were not motivated enough to try and change the status quo. The teachers intimated that their perceptions of the programme were also influenced by their administrations attitude towards the programme. They argued that if the administration was not victorious the programme eriously who were they to do so? Challenges faced by teachers in the implementation of the programme Teachers highlighted a number of issues that according to them hindered the effective implementation of the Life skills and HIV and AIDS programme in their schools.They cited the shortage of or entire lose of material to use in the teaching of Life skills and HIV and AIDS. They consulted that the only material available was for example a chapter on reproductive sexual health in a bio logy textbook where they mention HIV and AIDS in passing. They argued that this was not sufficient to comprise a omprehensive syllabus for the entire programme. Life skills were even more challenging to teach as there was no material available and the teachers themselves were not well versed with them.Teachers highlighted that the HIV and AIDS part of the programme was easier to teach since most people had the knowledge and they had been exposed to the subject matter at their teachers colleges. However life skills were a different matter and they did not have the seemly knowledge about life skills and how to teach them to their students. This presented a challenge in the effective implementation of he programme as teachers tended to focus on the part they were confident about HIV and AIDS.They conceded that life skills and HIV and AIDS education were an important part of the curriculum but argued that they did not have enough time to teach these as the core subjects and extra-curri cular activities such as sports and clubs took up all the students time. Life skills and HIV and AIDS education was consequently relegated to the AIDS club, membership of which was optional for students. Teachers cited that even the administration viewed the programme as secondary uch that if one tried to teach it seriously and request the material to teach it they were viewed as embarking on a futile take in charge to try and change the status quo.They said the schools administrations were of the perception that there were better things to throw away the schools resources on than the life skills programme. The principals indicated that the resources available to their schools were inadequate and they had to make difficult decisions in prepare to uphold the integrity and quality of their schools and these included prioritising the core subjects since they were xaminable and had depend impact on the schools performance rating.Discussion This paper evaluated the implementation of the life skills and HIV and AIDS programme in Zimbabwean schools based on a number of factors the expected outcomes of increased 8 knowledge levels and decreased risky behaviour, indicators of behaviour change and perceptions of the programme which would affect acceptance by students and implementation by teachers. Though knowledge levels on basic H d AIDS knowledge was high they are still not high enough.This concurs with the research conducted for The Global Monitoring Report ?Youth and Skills Putting education to work which states that tests in fourteen countries in South and East Africa (including Zimbabwe) showed that only 7% of school children in the regions have the desired level of knowledge on HIV and AIDS and Just 36% have even the minimum level of knowledge. Students knowledge of life skills is even lower indicating that life skills and HIV and AIDS issues are not being taught well if at all in these schools.Perhaps even the knowledge of HIV and AIDS issues was not as a result of the programme but other sources immaterial to the school. The fact that teachers consider life skills and HIV and AIDS education as extra- curricular indicates that it is side-lined when it should be considered core. Even the students do not attach much(prenominal) value to it citing that it does not assist them to secure a place for further education or a Job.This is without realizing that some people with very untroubled educational qualifications are failing to secure good Jobs due to ill health as a result of bad decisions resulting from a lack of life skills. A major lack of motivation is evident when teachers indicate that they only do what they are paid for. Perhaps even the core subjects are not being taught well for this reason. Incentives have been introduced in schools to attempt to address this lack of motivation but even then these are viewed as inadequate and are different from school to school.Life skills and HIV and AIDS education is perceived by all adm inistration, teachers and students, as extra-curricular and therefore not very important requiring only a minimal perfunctory browse. If this is how the programme is viewed by the intended implementers there is no way it will be effectively use. Concerning teacher ormation and development in the context of HIVAIDS Chamba (2011 suggests that teachers have to be trained in life skills HIV-AIDS education prevention in order to teach HIV- AIDS and also to protect themselves from HIV infections.Recommendations to improve on implementation of programme The modules on life skills and HIV and AIDS should be made examinable so as to be taken more seriously by both the teachers and the students. 9 The programme should also include the conflict of the students in HIV prevention initiatives through organisations working within the community so as to ive them a more practical bearing of the issues they learn instead of them remaining abstract ideas.Students should be exposed to real life situat ions where they actually come to a realization of the effects of HIV and AIDS so as to realize the impo rtance ot what they learn. This programme should be planned in such a manner that it runs continuously from primary school into secondary school so that life skills training and HIV and AIDS education are not a once off event but a continuous process providing the necessary reinforcement and revision where necessary. Teachers need to be adequately trained to teach life skills and HIV and AIDS related issues.The programme needs to be supported practically at all levels, that it the provision of resources by the Ministry of Education and each school administration, conformable evaluation of the programme so as to ensure that it is being implemented as best as is possible. Parents should be involved so that the children are provided with consistent, noncontradictory information and are supported in the endeavour to change or develop healthy sexual behaviours.