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INFLUENCE OF DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES ON THE PERCEPTION OF SCIENCE TEACHERS TOWARDS THE INCLUSION OF HIV/AIDS EDUCATION IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS

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INFLUENCE OF DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES ON THE PERCEPTION OF SCIENCE TEACHERS TOWARDS THE INCLUSION OF HIV/AIDS EDUCATION IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS

 

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

 

1.1 The Study’s Background

 

In the early 1980s, the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), which causes Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), was discovered. It has spread faster than most diseases in recent history, causing social, cultural, economic, and moral consequences for individuals, families, and communities, as well as threatening the foundations of entire societies.

The link between HIV/AIDS and poverty has grown stronger over time, as the disease infects and affects the younger generation, who are the productive labor force of any economy. HIV infections are rapidly spreading among young people, and what happens to them today will determine what happens to them and their communities in the future.

An estimated 11.8 million young people aged 15-24 are living with HIV/AIDS, and they account for half of all new infections (over 6,000 per day). (UNAIDS, The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, 2003.)

 

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared HIV/AIDS to be one of the world’s first public health emergencies and a serious threat to global public health. It reveals that HIV/AIDS is the world’s second most common communicable disease and the sixth leading cause of death worldwide.

(World Health Organization, 2004) In recent years, it has received as much attention in international circles as other pressing global issues such as war, terrorism, and environmental degradation, among others. According to UNAIDS (2006), approximately 65 million people have been affected, and more than 25 million have died as a result of AIDS-related causes. The situation is exacerbated by the fact that 29 million new infections are expected by 2020 if prevention and treatment are not accelerated.

 

According to the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) report for 2006, several countries have reported success in reducing HIV infections.

 

The overall infection rate, however, is increasing. Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) continues to be the most affected region. According to the WHO (2004), HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of adult mortality in Africa. It confirms that AIDS-related diseases account for approximately 3.1 percent and 3.9 percent of all male and female deaths, respectively.

In the same vein, UNAIDS (2006) fact sheet states that Africa, South of the Sahara, accounts for 63 percent of global HIV/AIDS infections, with the prevalence rate highest among the age group 15-49 years. As a result, during the African Development Forum, African heads of state declared AIDS to be a public health emergency on the continent (2000).

 

According to UNAIDS/WHO (2007), 33.2 million people worldwide are infected with HIV. HIV/AIDS-related deaths fell from 2.2 million in 2005 to 2.0 million in 2007. However, the number of new infections increased to 2.5 times that of infected people receiving treatment (UNAIDS, 2008).

Rather than being complacent, this highlights the importance of countries increasing their commitment to prevention efforts. This is required if the pandemic is to be reversed in order to meet the MDGs’ 2015 target and save humanity from an impending scourge.

 

According to the WHO (2005), young people in Nigeria are disproportionately affected. Indeed, one-third of infected Nigerians are between the ages of 18 and 35. This age group includes all Nigerians in secondary school, high school, university, vocational schools, professional schools, and those serving in the military. According to Mbanya, Martyn, and Paul (2008), the disease’s socioeconomic impact is significant, with an increasing number of sections affected and high hospital bed occupancy.

They go on to say that this results in overworked medical personnel and an additional burden on the health and education sectors, where school teachers are reported to be unproductive on multiple counts and morbidity from opportunistic infections is on the rise. This, of course, poses a significant challenge to the socioeconomic system.

 

-economic development of the country, given that the age group under 18 accounts for approximately 42 percent of the total population (Population Reference Bureau, 2009).

 

Health Education is not a new addition to the school curriculum. A look at the curricular development in Nigerian education reveals the various ways in which health issues have been addressed. Attempts to incorporate population and family life education into Nigerian education, both formal and informal, can be traced back to the 1980s.

By 1985, reproductive health education had been incorporated into some school subjects such as Biology, Integrated Science, Physical and Health Education, Home Economics, Religious and Moral Education, and Religious and Moral Education at both the Junior Secondary School (JSS) and Senior Secondary School (SSS). Many aspects of our social lives have deteriorated as a result of globalization.

The HIV/AIDS epidemic is one of the consequences of our people’s poor social lives. Despite numerous attempts to shape our people’s lives in sexual matters and moderate their behavior through the use of condoms in the prevention of HIV/AIDS, little success has been achieved. “Seminar on HIV/AIDS Curriculum Development,” Olusola Adara (2003).

 

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INFLUENCE OF DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES ON THE PERCEPTION OF SCIENCE TEACHERS TOWARDS THE INCLUSION OF HIV/AIDS EDUCATION IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS

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