Setting up a Competence team in school

[Jossef B. Khamara]

The Competence facilitators trained the secondary school teachers with intention to be extended. The teachers that were trained as Competence facilitators went back to their school and self-assessed their pupils.

With regards to HIV/AIDS competence process, the pupils were determined and set themselves (their school) as target for inprovement. The 25 self-assessed school representatives then became change agents for their school who sensitize, motivate and follow up on their colleagues/schools to acheve their set targets. The teachers continue to facilitate the process in their school. The school is from time to time re-assessed to see changes in their HIV/AIDS competence process.

As a result, some pupils are now found sensitizing their colleagues on the HIV/AIDS prevention and control. Some are even estending the positive practices to their respective communities.

HIV/AIDS Competence Sensitization with school

[Gaston]

Thanks you Jossef for sharing this. My main question is around facilitating self-assessment with the pupils. Was this difficult? Were some practices more challenging than others?

Can you share a bit more about this as we need to facilitate it soon with young students and I would like to learn from your experience.

Thanks

[Jossef B. Khamara]

The real impact of the ACP in schools will be measured later in the intervention. The information on my blog show how is is helping HIV/AIDS sensitization in schoold and their communities.

There has been HIV/AIDS sensitization in the school coverd but they were provided by not using the competence process. The same secondary (high school) grades/classes have been covered in all cases because in Sierra Leone, there is Education Sector on HIV/AIDS Policy that limits HIV/AIDS sensitization to secondary(high school) level. Because the policy permits HIV/AIDS sensitization in secondary (high) schools, the parents do not have problem with HIV/AIDS sensitization in schools.
The school teachers are trained as ACP facilitators and not the pupils. The pupils are self-assessed and they in turn take up actions to improve the HIV/AIDS competence.

[Rituu B. Nanda]

Dear Jossef,

Fantastic.

What has been the impact of ACP in schools? Please can you share the before and after scenario? Was there HIV education in schools before ACP? who was providing it? from which class?

ACP facilitators have been taken from which classes? How have the parents responded to it? I have so many questions as this topic is of great interest to me and here in India we have been struggling with. Constance from Cameroon too has applied a strength-based approach in schools.

All the best for your great work.

Warm regards,

Rituu