Education ministry engages in study pertaining to HIV/AIDS and student regularity
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Contact: Kerwin Xavier
Tuesday 19 October 2010 – The Ministry of Education in partnership with the University of the West Indies, UNESCO and the Caribbean Child Development Centre has undertaken research to determine how HIV Stigma and discrimination affects the learning outcomes of students infected and affected by HIV and AIDS.
Secretary General Saint Lucia National Commission for UNESCO, Marcia Symphorien says the project seeks to respond to what is considered a dearth in statistical knowledge on HIV and AIDS in general, but particularly as it relates to children within the education sector.
“There is evidence anecdotal that HIV can have profound negative effects on the receiver. For school age children this can include being forced to leave school or limit their contact with school. It can lead to depression and anxiety and other behavioural problems which in turn negatively affect school attendance and performance.”
Lead researcher Joan Thomas of Caribbean Child Development Centre says that research undertaken dealt with whether students who are affected with HIV/AIDS abstain from school more than their peers. .
“We interviewed the children their parents, their teachers and their school principles and what we found from the students that the infected and affected weren’t missing school more than the non infected children and this is unlike what is shown in the literature because in other countries it is said that children that are infected and affected by HIV are likely to miss school because of the illness. So there are no differences between the children that are infect and affected and the comparison children as well as in terms of school performance they didn’t differ on that.” According to Ms. Thomas though the sample size was small, which have implications for the interpretation of the data, this research would allow the Ministry of education in Saint Lucia to develop educational polices that would eliminate stigma and discrimination as it pertains to HIV and AIDS students.
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