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THE NEED FOR HIV EDUCATION IN NIGERIA SECONDARY SCHOOLS

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

In 2007, worldwide 33.2 million people were living with HIV/AIDS. Sub-Saharan Africa remains the most affected area with more than two-thirds (68%) of all people living with HIV (UNAIDS, 2007). It was estimated that 1.7 million people were newly infected with HIV in this region in 2007, bringing the total number of people living with the virus to 22.5 million. In west and Central Africa, Nigeria still has the largest numbers with some 300 000 people dead, 3 million infected and 1.5 million children orphaned by HIV/AIDS. It is estimated that ∼60% of all new infections in sub-Saharan Africa are among young people. Since there is no cure to HIV, strategies addressing this epidemic should focus their messages on prevention for young people. Of all strategies, school-based HIV peer education has been viewed as a necessary step to protect the general population from further infection. As young people are more likely to adopt new behaviors, it remains important to focus preventive interventions on them.

Although education and behavior programs contribute to awareness and HIV/AIDS knowledge, they have weak to moderate effects on sexual risk behavior. This indicates that programs should be specifically developed to match culture and age and should address the underlying reasons for high-risk behavior. Kirby et al (2006) evaluated HIV/AIDS school-based programs in developing countries. Based on this evaluation, they concluded that these interventions caused a delay of the onset of sex, reduction in the frequency of sex, decrease in the number of sexual partners and increase in the use of condoms. Most of the evaluated programs were curriculum based and adult led. Therefore, it was recommended to further evaluate the effectiveness of non-curriculum-based peer education HIV/AIDS programs. This evaluation in Nigeria contributes to this.

Peer education has been widely advocated as alternative to interventions presented as classical education programs and is becoming an increasingly popular method for promoting behavior change in HIV/AIDS prevention programs. Peer education typically involves the use of members of a given group to effect change among other members of the same group. Peer education is often used to effect change at the individual level by attempting to modify a person's knowledge, attitudes, beliefs or behaviors  (UNAIDS 1999) . In 2004, a community HIV/AIDS prevention program was initiated by the Nigerian Non-Governmental Organization CBR Effata in a rural community in Ebonyi State, southeast Nigeria. Part of this program is peer education in secondary schools. Ebonyi State is the most underdeveloped state in southeast Nigeria. It has very little development assistance from international agencies, compared with neighboring states. To our knowledge, no previous peer education program evaluation is reported for Nigeria. The only study containing Nigerian data, by Fawole et al (1999)  was taking place in urban settings and did not include peer education.

The purpose of the study was to assess whether peer education is an effective method of HIV/AIDS awareness, in terms of knowledge, misconception and behavior, among adolescents in the rural area of Nigeria. We hypothesized that in cases of effective peer education, the HIV/AIDS knowledge would be better in the intervention group relative to the baseline group. Furthermore, we expected a reduction in misconception and sexual risk behavior in the intervention group relative to the baseline group.

Students are so concerned with themselves and everything that impacts their existence. Sometimes they ask questions about themselves that require a response from their parents or guardians, such as “where do bodies come from?” and “why do bodies need fathers?” They also ask questions about films, audio, television programs, and magazines they've read.

The secondary school and society as a whole have realized that the majority of students in secondary schools are ignorant of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Therefore, in order to educate students on HIV-related issues, HIV education should be implemented in Nigerian secondary schools.

HIV (immunodeficiency virus) education in Hunan imparts empirical knowledge essential for virus prevention. It is a pathogen that eradicates infection from the body. HIV essentially refers to the virus that causes infection/disease that can result in acquired immune deficiency (AIDS).

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) diminishes the body's capacity to fight off other infections. Between Ondo and Edo States, the oldest village in the south was discovered approximately nine hundred years ago at the democratic state boundary. The Egor Local Government is composed of various tribes, including the Benin, Ibo, and Ijaws, among others. Today, study area is not lagging behind in terms of education; it has approximately 28 secondary institutions.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) education at our secondary school is vitally important for both male and female students. However, the topic has not been regarded from the proper angle. Students must understand that the human immunodeficiency virus causes AIDS.(Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). Aids are a condition that occurs when HIV infection compromises the body's capacity to fight off other infections.

1.3 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The main objective of this study is to ascertain the need for HIV education in Nigeria secondary schools. Specific objectives include;

i. To identify the need to teach HIV education in schools.

ii. To know if HIV should be taught by female educators.

iii. To know whether different religious faith prohibit the teaching of HIV education.

iv. To understand whether school administrations support the teaching of HIV education.

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTION

The following research topics serve as the study's guide:

i. Do you believe that HIV education should be taught in senior high schools?

ii. Should HIV education be taught exclusively by female educators?

iii. Does different religious faith prohibit the teaching of HIV education?

iv. Do school administrations support the teaching of HIV education?

1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The significance of this study is to inform the public about the need for HIV education in senior high schools.

This study will encourage the residents of Egor Local Government Area, Edo State, to take a greater interest in how HIV education is contaminated and how to prevent HIV.

1.7 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The majority of students are adolescents; this stage of human development is known as a time of storm and tension. The period is also difficult, and those who fall within it require special guidance from their parents, teachers, and siblings in order to attain life fulfilment.

The purpose of the study is to prepare the student for a brighter future in terms of what to do and experience in the future. Students must be aware of themselves and other pertinent information pertinent to HIV education.

Further, the study provides concrete solutions to the problem of teaching HIV education in order to generate a better comprehension of how we intend to forward, to the authorities, parents, teachers, and the general public, certain suggestions designed to generate interest.

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