A CRITIQUE OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL LIFE-SKILLS AND HIV/AIDS SCHOOL POLICY: LESSONS FOR POLICY ADJUSTMENT

Abstract

South Africa has the fastest growing epidemic in the world with an estimated 1600 new infections occurring daily. According to the annual antenatal HIV sero-prevalence survey in 1994 the level of HIV infection amongst pregnant adolescents younger than 20 years was 6.47% rising to 12.7% in 1997 and 21% in 1998, with an increase of 65% in the last year (Department of Health, 2001). To date of the more than 5 million people in the country that are living with HIV, more than half are young people aged 15-24 (Abdool Karim & Abdool Karim, 2005). The social and economic implications of the epidemic on the educational and welfare sector of the country are undoubtedly serious and real.

Keywords

• policy
• hiv
• aids
• hiv/aids
• life skills