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National Conference on HIV/AIDS curriculum development

National Conference on HIV/AIDS curriculum development presented for leaders of teachers association and unions of India by the All-India Federation of Teachers Organizations (AIFTO) - Mumbai, India

AIFTO Woman
A guest speaker at the conference
Indian professionals and officials are among the first to admit that the figure of just under 4 Million as HIV/AIDS-infected persons (2001) in the population greatly under-represents the true picture of the prevalence of the scourge in that country which at that time was estimated as closer to 10 million.  Education programmes to educate and inform about the virus have thus far had limited effect and have not reached primary school children.

Following the Ministerial Meeting on HIV/AIDS and Education held at Stoke Rochford in September 2004 which was attended by representatives of the Commonwealth Teachers Grouping, Mr Ramesh Joshi, deputy secretary general of the All India Federation of Teachers and head of the Greater Mumbai Teachers Union submitted a proposal to the Secretariat requesting support for a programme to review, revise and develop the present curriculum on HIV/AIDS in school in India.  The proposal involved a national seminar for the leadership of the All India Federation to be followed by four regional seminars - in Hyderbad, Ahmadebad, Imphal Manipur and Simla-Himachal Pradesh - for educators and teachers at local levels.

 National Conference on HIV/AIDS curriculum development
Conference participants
In February 2005, In collaboration with the Commonwealth Secretariat Education section a  three-day programme saw 87 educators and leaders of professional associations from all but 2 states of India convening for presentations and group discussions on a wide range of HIV/AIDS related issues including the curative and preventive aspects of HIV/AIDS and the myths and "taboos" associated within Indian society to the scourge.  The conference was also addressed by leading officials from state government level in education, and it was recognised that the policy to prevent HIV/AIDS education being taught in Primary Schools in India has emanated from ministry-level.  Non-governmental organizations, including representatives of the transvestites association in Mumbai, and representatives of the municipal authority were also present.

   The conference was therefore used as medium for educating the AIFTO leadership about HIV/AIDS and for  lobbying government officials to review the curriculum to enable primary school children to be educated about HIV/AIDS given the evidence of children of primary school age being infected by, and dying of HIV/AIDS.