The Impact of HIV/AIDS on the Education Sector in Uganda

Examining Policy, Leadership and Advocacy Responses in the Education Sector

By: Amone, J & Bukuluki P
Produced by: MoES Uganda & IIEP-UNESCO, 2004

The HIV/AIDS epidemic in Uganda has had far reaching consequences not only for individuals, families and communities, but also for the country as a whole. In the education sector, the epidemic has emerged as a major threat to achieving Education for All (EFA) goals. The national success in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Uganda has been attributed to good and committed leadership, open policies and sustained advocacy. Policy confers legitimacy, sets priorities and goals and establishes accountability for the different partners operating in the area. Leadership provides the desired vision, mobilizes both human and financial resources, and forms the driving force for implementation, monitoring and evaluation.

Advocacy, on the other hand, provides the energy necessary for mobilization and action. However, according to the findings of this research, the education sector in Uganda does little to document or analyse policy, leadership and advocacy issues as critical responses to HIV/AIDS, with respect to the welfare of teachers, education managers, support staff and learners. This study seeks to investigate those factors.
The overall study objective was to analyse the existing policy, leadership and advocacy responses to the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in primary and secondary education in Uganda. Specifically, the study seeks to:

• Assess the existence of sectoral policy on HIV/AIDS and how it is being implemented
• Examine the roles of different actors in the sector in providing leadership for advocacy in HIV/AIDS issues
• Explore the roles of different actors in providing leadership for implementation of HIV/AIDS programmes at all levels.