Exploration of strategies to integrate HIV and AIDS education in pre-service teacher education

Abstract

The South African National Policy on HIV/AIDS (Department of Education, 1999) mandates the integration of HIV and AIDS education in the whole South African education system. This self-study of a mathematics teacher educator explores integration of HIV and AIDS education in pre-service teacher education at a faculty of education that is situated in a province with one of the highest HIV and AIDS prevalence rates in South Africa. By examining the interactions between a group of volunteer pre-service teachers and their teacher educator, this self-study aimed at shedding light on how these interactions might be used to develop ‘multiskilled’ teachers who are HIV-aware, HIV-competent, and HIV-safe in the area of mathematics teaching and learning. Possible strategies for facilitating integration of HIV and AIDS education in mathematics education were explored. The findings suggest a possible ‘bottom-up’ strategy, using self-study, to integrate HIV and AIDS education in a discipline.