Viewpoint on Family Life and HIV Education curriculum in Nigerian secondary schools

Abstract

The Family Life and HIV Education curriculum was developed to drive Nigeria’s school-based HIV intervention strategy for disseminating information about HIV/AIDS and curbing the threat of HIV/AIDS among adolescents and young people. In this paper, we aimed to identify the strengths and constraints in the Family Life and HIV Education curriculum and its implementation, and we suggest possible solutions to boost its effectiveness and impact. We reviewed the curriculum and searched other pertinent literature to identify factors found to undermine the effectiveness and impact of this curriculum, as used in Nigerian secondary schools. We then proffered possible solutions to these factors. It is recommended that greater collaboration and sharing of ideas and experiences across sectors involved in HIV/AIDS prevention efforts be encouraged, to yield relevant information for more efficient innovation in the Family Life and HIV Education curriculum, which can lead to its greater effectiveness and impact.