A classroom is not just an ordinary room where lessons happen. It is a place where the minds of young people are shaped, expanded, and nurtured to face the real world. Several factors may affect learning in the classroom, including HIV/AIDS related stigma and discrimination.
Following the training that was conducted by UNESCO in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training in Zanzibar for in-service teachers on Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) including HIV and AIDS, we came across Rahma Ali Salim, a standard 7 student at Mtopepo ‘B’ Primary School. Rahma Ali Salim, who is aged 14, is among over 1,000 learners who have benefited from Life Skills Based Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH), HIV and Gender Based Violence prevention training through the “Our Rights, Our Lives, Our Future” project in Zanzibar.
Rahma realized the discriminatory behaviour that she practiced towards her fellow student who is living with HIV/AIDS after the HIV/AIDS lesson in school.
I have my friend who is living with HIV, and I was avoiding playing with her, borrowing her properties and I was driving her away when she came to our home. I am now happy to know that I can share with her things like pen, and we can even eat together! I advise others not to discriminate people living with HIV because they may choose to deliberately spread the disease to others, may not take their medicine, or may even decide to commit suicide
Stigmatization was not an issue to Rahma alone but also findings show that stigma is still a massive challenge in Zanzibar. About 17.3% of adults aged 15 years and older in urban areas reported discriminatory attitudes towards people living with HIV compared to 30.7% of adults in rural areas. Discriminatory attitudes were slightly more prevalent in Zanzibar (30.5%) compared to mainland Tanzania (25.5%) (Tanzania HIV Impact Survey – 2017).
UNESCO through the “Our Rights, Our Lives, Our Future” project has been working with the government and a wide range of partners to support strengthening provision of quality age-appropriate Life Skills Based-Sexual and Reproductive Health, HIV, and Gender-Based-Violence prevention education (CSE) to adolescents and young people in schools across Tanzania mainland and Zanzibar.
