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The Ugandan Ministry of Education
and Sports has required secondary schools to report the HIV status of all
students, teachers, and staff in this year’s school census, due on April 22.
Schools received the “pink form” for secondary schools on Wednesday, April 17.
Items required on the pink form include information on students,
infrastructure, sanitation, teaching materials, learners, and HIV status.
Francis Lubanga, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education and Sports,
warned that schools failing to provide all information will lose their license.
Another Ministry of Education and Sports official stated that the request is
part of a multi-sector approach the government has adopted to fight HIV, a
leading cause of death in Uganda.
Parents and teachers oppose the
requirement because they say the ministry has not defined its purpose for
collecting the information, and they fear such knowledge will result in stigma
for HIV-infected individuals and for schools with high HIV prevalence. Furthermore,
the requirement places the burden of HIV testing upon schools. According to
Rashid SSebutosi, deputy head teacher for Mariam High School, HIV testing is
not a required element of the school’s compulsory annual health exam.
Edward Ssemuskasa, head teacher of
Kisaasi College School, emphasized the difficulty of obtaining information
about the staff’s or students’ HIV status in a culture where HIV/AIDS is seldom
discussed openly, even in cause-of-death conversations. He suggested collecting
information about malaria or urinary tract infections would be more useful in
promoting student health. Although parents may report HIV status when a student
enters a school, Ssemuskasa indicated parents would prefer the school keep this
information confidential.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
