An investigation into the knowledge of Junior Secondary students on HIV and AIDS and their sexual behaviour in Ramotswa Secondary Schools

Abstract

The study was aimed at investigating the knowledge that Junior Secondary School students have on HIV and AIDS and their sexual behaviour in Ramotswa Secondary Schools. The increasing prevalence of HIV and AIDS in Botswana has prompted the researcher to focus on investigating the knowledge that Junior Secondary School students have on HIV and AIDS. Schools offer an appropriate setting for HIV and AIDS education, but looking at the way HIV and AIDS is spreading the capacity of regular classroom teachers to provide health and HIV and AIDS education with knowledge and comfort may be limited by lack of HIV and AIDS related training and by attitudes and values. Hence the researcher found it imperative to launch this study, which will unveil the knowledge that Junior Secondary School students have on HIV and AIDS and their sexual behaviour. This survey assessed HIV and AIDS knowledge of 120 students out of a total of 800 students from Ramotswa Secondary Schools. The findings revealed that 80% of female students and 70% of male students have knowledge about HIV and AIDS. Nevertheless, while basic knowledge is considerably low, it is this knowledge that is most likely to affect behaviours and affect risk. Of a particular concern is confusion over the relationship between HIV and AIDS and serious lack of knowledge about how long one could be asymptomatic with HIV. The nature of the knowledge about HIV and its relation to AIDS is such that, it is likely that quite a few do not realise they are at risk. Findings m the qualitative investigations were consistent. On significant difference between Junior Secondary female students and Junior Secondary School male students in their sexual behaviour, the inferential statistics: chi square was 4. 9. This result means that there is significant difference between junior Secondary school female students and junior secondary school male students in their sexual behaviour.