Support needs of high school educators directly affected by the HIV

Abstract

This study focuses on the impact of HIV/Aids on secondary school educators who are affected by the HIV/Aids pandemic. The study seeks to understand how the pandemic has impacted on educators and identify support needs of educators affected by HIV/Aids. Many educators are negatively affected by HIV/Aids due to the fact that their family members, loved ones, friends, learners and colleagues may be ill, dying or affected by HIV and Aids. Educators are personally and professionally affected by HIV/Aids. Personally many educators are emotionally, socially, spiritually and physically affected. Professionally many are negatively impacted as educator absenteeism rises, morale is lowered and professional roles become more complex. There are very few avenues of support for educators who are affected by the HIV pandemic. To determine how high school educators are affected and what their subsequent support needs are, this study followed a phenomenological design. Fourteen high school educators were interviewed. All participants taught at township schools in the Free State and were affected by the HIV pandemic. The data were coded with regard to how these educators were affected by the pandemic and what support they wished for. According to this study's findings, educators in township secondary schools in the Free State are personally and professionally affected. Their experiences are mostly negative. They wish for support from the Department of Education, school management, their colleagues and the community. Examples of requested support include training and counselling programmes, supportive attitudes and additional educators so that they might be assisted to cope with the HIV/Aids pandemic challenges.