World Health Organisation and United Nations had set aside 1st December every year to think and talk to the world about the pandemic and its impacts on socio-Economic development of individual countries and the world economic progress and development.

Education in-depth deemed it necessary as an education column to contribute its quarter to this global challenge.

Dear readers, you will all undoubtedly agree that HIV/AIDS is the most important global developmental challenge facing the world and education in particular. The lives of millions of people all over the world including children who will take the mantle of the world’s leaderships and major development decisions in future are under severe threat. The disease is making a downward slope of the number of active and competent trained personnel in the labour force in major productive sectors like AGRICULTURE, EDUCATION, CONSTRUCTION, MINING, HEALTH, TOURISM, FISHERISES, TRANSPORT to mention a few. Our deliberation will focus on the impact of the epidemic on education and the way forward.

The significance of the contributions of education in HIV/AIDS is immeasurable. Education and the educators are collectively responsible as a powerful social media to use their resources judiciously in educating the populace about the infection of the disease as there is yet to be any medical vaccine for AIDS. It’s duty bound on the sector to enlighten the society for mitigating the impact of AIDS that may deny them quality education which they have a right to. Stigma and discriminations against those suffering from the disease must be avoided by both teachers and students and to accommodate them in the learning environment or system without any form of fear or ill will. The impact of the pandemic affects two sides, the side of the teachers and the students.

1. The impact of the disease on the teachers is that there will be long teacher absenteeism caused by illness, taking care of sick and attending funerals. There may likely be a high loss of qualified teachers due to increase mortality rate or teachers refusing to be posted to arrears seriously affected by the pandemic, high cost of training more staff and replacement of the affected ones, the resource allocation to the sector in the national budget will subsequently be reduced as well as private and community investment would equally be reduced.

2. On the side of learners, children will keep missing or the roll of the school will drastically reduce in number year in year out. Those with parental or home problems cannot learn effectively. These among others are empirical evidences that affect the productivity of the nations as well as the social progress of mankind. The socio-economic development of the world cannot be achieved in the absence of education. Be it a scientist, doctor, engineer, nurse, agriculturist, economist, manager, entrepreneur, journalist etc, etc must pass through the education system to process them to the best of their ability. Teachers, school children, school management committees and PTA and the wider society have a responsibility in contributing their quarter towards the spread and control of HIV/AIDS pandemic.

I can vividly recall the days as a teacher at Lower Basic School, we used to organize health education forum every forth night where we invited health personnel in the area to talk to children on a selected topic. Such fora are not common in the upper classes (upper basic and senior secondary schools) where more emphasis is put on the attainment of eight hundred and eighty (880) contact hours and still standards are falling. We need to come together as one and fight for a common cause in order to avert serious threat to humanity which is already in place sincerely, truthfully and professionally without fear, favour or deceit.

We should all bear in mind that up to this point in time, scientific and medical researches are in high gear but no definite cure for this deadly disease is yet to be pronounced.

As the body responsible for teachers in this country, The Gambia Teachers Union has responded by publishing booklets and distributed them to members across the country to increase their awareness about the AIDS pandemic. These booklets contain six key issues need to be discussed as part of education for prevention:

1. Understanding the nature of the infection and how it is transmitted is the precondition for changing behaviours that facilitate transmission;

2. knowing what behaviour to avoid, such as not engaging in unprotected sex and sharing of skin-piercing instruments, is essential for reducing infection rates;

3. knowing how to reduce risks gives people positive options by which to live their lives more safely;

4. adopting attitudes of respect for human rights is important in limiting the spread of the disease, and building care and support for those affected and infected;

5. understanding the nature and dynamics of human relationships is important for developing the attitudes that will support risk reduction behaviours;

6. Skills development is crucial for putting into practice understanding and knowledge. Because HIV is transmitted through specific behaviours, education is needed to avoid infection. Skills development is also necessary for people to interact with others, including people, in a considerate and supportive way.

Teacher Unions’ response to the impact of AIDS on Teachers globally is that;

Teachers can and must play a crucial role in the prevention of HIV by sharing information with colleagues and students, by raising awareness in the community and by making skills based health education an integral part of the curriculum.

Teacher Unions around the globe have adopted resolutions and policies on HIV/AIDS. Unions have started disseminating information and have made training programs on HIV as part and parcel of their day-to-day work.

Education international has been increasingly active in galvanizing teachers around the epidemic. The work is based on the underlying principle that teachers can significantly reduce HIV infection by avoiding infection themselves, and by helping young people to prevent infection.

All the above mentioned points are less effectively implemented in schools. We need to strengthen education and sensitization of HIV/AIDS infections in schools and communities as a developing nation and its deterrent to the economic progress and development of our country.