Ezulwini, Swaziland, Capacity-building seminar, 11-14 November 2003: UNESCO Education

EDUCATION

Ezulwini, Swaziland, Capacity-building seminar, 11-14 November 2003

HIV/AIDS, Teacher Attrition and Curriculum Renewal in the Southern Africa Region

The Ministry of Education of Swaziland, UNESCO International Bureau of Education in Geneva, the UNESCO Division for the Promotion of Quality Education and The International Institute for Education Planning in Paris, with the support of the National Commission for UNESCO in Swaziland as well as of UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education for Africa in Dakar and the Cluster Office in Windhoek, organized this seminar from 11 to 14 November 2003, in Swaziland.

The seminar brought together the Directors and Heads of Curriculum departments of national Ministries of Education, from 9 countries in the Southern Africa sub-region, namely Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe.

IBE HIV/AIDS
2003-12-22 3:30 pm

The aim of the seminar is to strengthen the capacity of curriculum developers and teacher educators in the Southern Africa region to respond to the challenges posed by HIV/AIDS and other situations of teacher shortage

The seminar addressed issues the following issues related to renewal of the official curricula as well as teacher training curricula to respond to the impact of HIV/AIDS. The seminar aims:

1. To strengthen the capacity of curriculum developers and teacher educators to respond to the challenges posed by HIV/AIDS.

2. To enhance communication between developers of school curricula and those in charge of adapting teacher education curricula for more effective implementation of curricular change.

3. To document processes of curriculum change in the countries of the region with a view to identifying relevant issues for the design of action-research projects that would support the building of capacity in the management of curriculum change.

Guiding questions for the seminar were as follows:

1. What has been the impact of HIV/AIDS on the teaching profession? (mainly on teacher attrition and absenteeism)

2. What has been the impact on the quality of teaching/learning in schools due to fewer teachers, increasing absenteeism and increasing deployment of untrained/substitute teachers?

3. What curricular responses have been adopted to overcome teacher attrition?

4. What are the implications for teacher training processes?

5. Regarding partnership for reform and the issue of maintaining quality education: what has been the relationship between formal and informal education?

The following outcomes were expected:

1. Guidelines for the development of curriculum for coping with teacher attrition and absenteeism.

2. Identification of areas of potential support for regional capacity building in the management of curriculum change.

3. Detailed and up-to-date documentation of national processes of curriculum change from participating countries.

Foreseen follow-up:
1. Guidelines published in three languages for further use and development in the framework of IBE International Clearinghouse on Curriculum for HIV/AIDS Education

2. Published seminar report based on comparative analysis of 10 country presentations and reports of workshops.

3. Draft proposal for cooperation among the countries.