Tailoring the Education Message: A Diversity of Settings and Needs. Symposium Report

This is a report on the Symposium that accompanied the 15-16 May, 2007 meeting of the UNAIDS Inter-Agency Task Team (IATT) on Education. The IATT Symposium provided an opportunity to address in some detail two selected problems that are critical to stemming the advance of HIV infection--areas that have had some attention, but remain insufficiently understood for education to make the impact that the Academy for Educational Development (AED) knows it can. This paper consists of five parts: (1) The Introduction gives a brief summary of the purpose and operating procedures of the IATT, outlines the purposes, organization, and structure of the May 2007 Symposium, and briefly describes each of the hosting organizations; (2) This section reflects the morning talk on HIV, AIDS and education in emergency, conflict, post-conflict and fragile states, a panel discussion thereupon, break-out group findings, and implications for the IATT; (3) This section covers the afternoon talk on Masculinity--how male gender roles affect learning and learning spaces and impact on vulnerability to HIV, a panel discussion thereupon, break-out group findings, and implications for the IATT; (4) Informational session on US Presidential initiatives in relation to HIV, AIDS and Education; and (5) Conclusion. In the first paper of this document, Dr. Gebrewold Petros of UNHCR, makes the case that it is essential that education programs refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) be attentive to the full range of issues around HIV and AIDS. This provides practical suggestions for how to move forward. His paper also provided opportunity for panelists and participants to share their own experience and jointly make suggestions to improve education for refugees and IDPs. The second paper, by Dr. David Plummer of the University of the West Indies, takes a very different approach and explores some of the research regarding how Caribbean boys develop their male identities, leading to some important conclusions about the roles of schools and teachers and how these really have to be rethought in regard to gender identity. His paper points to some of the negative results of "hard masculinity" in relation to boys' participation in education and puts rest to the argument that emphasis on girls' education has been to the detriment of boys--even though there are real reasons to be concerned about male educational achievement. The paper provoked some thoughtful reflections by panelists and served to provide a series of practical next steps for the IATT and others concerned with HIV, AIDS and education. Finally, the Symposium provided an opportunity for representatives of the US Government to discuss two key Presidential Initiatives. Ms. Michele Moloney-Kitts of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Response (PEPFAR) and Dr. Sarah Moten, of the President's Africa Education Initiative (AEI) made an unprecedented joint presentation. Their presentation outlined the main goals of each initiative and then identified the synergy between them. Appendices include: (1) Symposium Program; and (2) Participant List. Individual sections contain references. (Contains 3 boxes and 27 footnotes.)