SUMMARY:

Hope Education (HE) aims to develop indigenous capacity to provide young learners with HIV prevention

training and appropriate life skills to affect lasting moral and behavioral change. The organization aims to

increase the capacity of Life Orientation (LO) teachers to promote HIV prevention through abstinence and

being faithful (AB); reach learners and orphans and vulnerable children with AB messages; develop the

capacity of the Department of Education at the provincial and district level; and develop the administrative,

logistic and academic capacity of Reaching a Generation (RaG) and HE to sustain quality HIV prevention

education.

BACKGROUND:

Prevention is key to reducing the high HIV infection rate in South Africa. The future course of the epidemic

hinges in many respects on the behaviors young people adopt or maintain, and the contextual factors that

affect those choices. Children, aged 10 to 14 years have the lowest HIV infection rate of any age group in

South Africa. Thus, they represent one of the greatest opportunities to reduce the HIV prevalence rates. If

young children adopt healthy behaviors, the spread of HIV can be limited. Schools, particularly LO classes

that are designed to prepare children for life, provide an ideal setting to address topics related to HIV

prevention. Because these classes have only recently become mandatory, the teachers have yet not

received proper training nor do they have sufficient materials and resources. RaG, an indigenous

community-based organization, in cooperation with HE, a US non-governmental organization have

developed an age appropriate, child-centered curriculum called iMatter to equip teachers with materials and

curriculum. This program has been developed in cooperation with the Department of Education (DOE).

ACTIVITIES AND EXPECTED RESULTS:

ACTIVITY 1: Teacher Training

The LO/HIV prevention training typically takes place during daylong workshops held for groups of 50 to 100

teachers. This is accomplished in close cooperation with the DOE, which increases efficiency by utilizing the

personnel, communication channels and infrastructure that is already in place. For example, the

Department handles communication with the schools and individual teachers and manages most of the

follow up.

The LO/HIV prevention teacher training is based on a learner-centered model and focuses on practical and

interactive activities that engage the teachers. RaG/HE piloted the program in the Free State province in

August 2006, and was subsequently revised, improved and expanded. Since the pilot project, the RaG team

has spent much time in schools and been attentive to feedback from the teacher training sessions. The

manual has been revised seven times, based on the ongoing feedback from the educators. Key leaders

within the DOE have gathered for multiple conferences to discuss how RaG/HE can ensure that the teacher

training events and materials are closely linked to the objectives and desired outcomes of the Department.

To date, more than 3,000 teachers representing more than 2,500,000 learners have been trained through

the RaG/HE LO training program in six provinces. Training will expand to eight provinces by the end of FY

2008.

Every schoolteacher who attends the training receives a Training Manual that serves as a syllabus and

ongoing resource. This manual supplements the existing educational materials by providing additional

resources aligned with the Outcomes and Assessment Standards as indicated in the National Curriculum

Statement. It also helps develop outcome-based education teaching skills based on experiential learning to

create optimal participation and a positive learning experience for the learners. This underpins the holistic

developmental approach of the National Curriculum Statement by including skills, knowledge and values as

an integral part of the teaching and learning process. The National Policy on HIV/AIDS, for Learners and

Educators in Public Schools, and Students and Educators in Further Education and Training Institutions

states: "Life skills and HIV and AIDS education should not be presented as isolated learning content, but

should be integrated in the whole curriculum. It should be presented in a scientific but understandable way.

Appropriate course content should be available for pre-service and in-service training of educators to cope

with HIV and AIDS in schools. Enough educators to educate learners about the epidemic should also be

provided."

The LO/HIV prevention teacher training includes examples of how to create lessons in compliance with the

National Curriculum Statement including outcome-based education methodologies such as using sensory

learning. Instructions for integrating HIV prevention materials into the LO classroom are also incorporated

into the training. Throughout the training the Learning Outcomes and Assessment Standards found in the

National Curriculum Statement are emphasized to build the capacity of teachers for attaining the desired

outcomes as identified by the DOE.

The teacher training aims to have every LO teacher from each district attend. Unfortunately, limited

resources made this impossible at times. In the past, it has been necessary to limit attendance to one

teacher per school; this teacher would then provide training and resources to other teachers. Because the

trained teachers taught other teachers there was a high ratio of teachers to learners trained: 3,000 teachers

for 2.5 million learners affected. In a scaled up version, every LO teacher will be able to attend and directly

participate in the training. Thus by training all LO teachers directly, more than 6,000 teachers will influence

more than 1,000,000 learners in a year.

ACTIVITY 2: Curriculum Materials

In addition to the training manual, each teacher will also receive age-appropriate HIV prevention materials

for each of the learners in the Foundation and Intermediate Phases. This book called "iMatter" is

complemented by a corresponding iMatter Teacher's Guide. Each lesson indicates which learning outcomes

and assessment standards from the National Curriculum Statement are being taught. Teachers are required

Activity Narrative: to keep a file of their work as well as a learner's portfolio. Both the iMatter Teacher's Guide and learner

books indicate the specific dimensions of HIV prevention teaching that can be included in the learners'

portfolios and teacher's file.

As required by the Critical and Developmental Outcomes of the National Curriculum Statement each iMatter

lesson is age appropriate in terms of language and cultural approach so that learners will adopt and

maintain behavior that will protect them from HIV infection. The National Policy states "A continuing life

skills and HIV and AIDS education programmed must be implemented at all schools and institutions for all

learners, students, educators and other staff members." During the teacher training session, a district DOE

official who is responsible for LO assists the teachers in understanding the correlation between the iMatter

training and the National Curriculum Statement and articulates how the content learned will be used for

performance appraisals in the future. Depending on the province, this person is called either a Learning

Facilitator or a Curriculum Specialist. They also explain how to apply outcomes-based assessment in

compliance with the National Policy of Assessment.

The iMatter curriculum was specifically developed for Sub-Saharan Africa in Swaziland. HE conducted due

diligence and research to determine what the content should include and to ensure that no duplication was

taking place. iMatter materials complement existing materials in South Africa and in Swaziland. The

Foundation Phase book is for Grades 2 - 3 and the Intermediate Phase book is for Grades 4 - 7. Both

editions include lessons on the value of human life, the importance of making good choices, the difference

between good and bad touch, ways that HIV is transmitted and can be avoided, and ways to avoid stigma.

Content is presented in an age appropriate manner.

Educators and curriculum specialists from Swaziland and the US began development of the iMatter

curriculum in 2005, deployed a field test in 2006 and rolled out the curriculum in 37 schools with more than

24,000 learners in 2007 in Swaziland. There was strong government and community support throughout the

process. This 10 lesson, age-appropriate HIV prevention material focuses on HIV prevention by targeting

the underlying causes of the epidemic.

iMatter has been modified for the South African context. Education specialists in South Africa identified the

grade-appropriate National Curriculum Standard learning outcomes contained in each iMatter lesson in

order to integrate with the South African school curriculum. Practical teaching tips and activities to equip the

LO teachers were also added. While the LO/HIV prevention teacher training has been designed to include

an iMatter book for every child, current financial support allows for each teacher to receive only one copy of

the iMatter material to utilize as a resource for teaching the Life Orientation and HIV prevention program. In

a fully funded program, teachers will receive a copy for each of the learners. Recent changes within the

requirements of the DOE along with the experience of the past two years provide additional content that

would be helpful if included in the iMatter materials. A second edition of iMatter will be designed to align it

even more fully into the requirements of the DOE. The project will be completed between September and

December 2008.

The iMatter materials provide teachers and learners with resource material for teaching and learning life

skills and HIV prevention in order to sustain the objectives of the DOE in the Learning Area of Life

Orientation. This is aligned with the Minister of Education's objectives in the Strategic Plan for 2007-2011

that aims 1) to ensure effective implementation of the Curriculum Performance measure; and 2) to ensure

that all schools have quality learning and teaching support materials. The iMatter books provide a structured

and clearly defined way for the teachers to integrate what they have learned. The interactive teaching

methods within the iMatter Teacher's Guide reinforce the content from the teachers training by providing

specific classroom activities for the teachers to use with their learners. Depending on length and frequency

of the LO class, the 10 lessons within iMatter can be used for much of the school year. There is enough

content in each of one of the iMatter lessons to last for two or three class periods. The skills the teachers

develop through this process will be used on an ongoing basis. In addition, both the learners and the

teachers keep their books. The learners are encouraged to take their books home and share what they

have learned with their families. The teachers keep their books and use the activities and stories in future

classes.

ACTIVITY 3: Partnership and Certification Activities

Since the pilot teacher training program, RaG has secured agreements with the provincial education

departments to provide HIV and AIDS prevention and awareness training to the LO teachers in the

provinces of Eastern Cape, Free State, North West, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, and portions of Gauteng

and Kwazulu-Natal. Experience has shown that the DOE becomes increasingly supportive the more

involved they become in the RaG/HE training. Initially the involvement is primarily limited to sending the

teachers for training; but as the program shows positive results, the Department becomes increasingly

involved in providing venues, logistical support, and meals for the teachers. In addition, the district officials

within the provinces are providing monitoring and evaluation to ensure the materials are used and

implemented in the schools. This is done on a continuous basis. At times RaG staff members accompany

the district officials in order to capture this part of the process on video.

The HIV prevention/LO teacher training course has been registered with UMALUSI and the South African

Qualifications Authority (SAQA). UMALUSI is a monitoring and moderating organization responsible for

general education and training as well as further education and training. SAQA is responsible for the

development and implementation of the National Qualification Framework established in 1995 to create a

single and integrated qualification system for the education sector. Through a partnership with Worldwide

Education Providers, RaG will offer up to five credits to the teachers who participate in the training. The

DOE in their draft proposal requires that each of their teachers complete 120 credits of continuing education

every 3 years.

Feedback from education leaders who have been involved with the training has been very positive.

New/Continuing Activity: Continuing Activity

Continuing Activity: 22316

Continued Associated Activity Information

Activity Activity ID USG Agency Prime Partner Mechanism Mechanism ID Mechanism Planned Funds

System ID System ID

22316 22316.08 HHS/Centers for Hope Education 9629 9629.08 $1,000,000

Disease Control &

Prevention

Emphasis Areas

Human Capacity Development

Estimated amount of funding that is planned for Human Capacity Development $25,000

Public Health Evaluation

Food and Nutrition: Policy, Tools, and Service Delivery

Food and Nutrition: Commodities

Economic Strengthening

Education

Water

Table 3.3.02: