Where are the Gaps?

Education, especially girls' education, is seen as the most effective protection against the HIV epidemic that has severely affected the school systems in sub-Saharan Africa. Effective HIV and AIDS education in schools can be achieved through high quality teaching, along with targeted and specific information about HIV and AIDS as part of a robust curriculum. Effective teacher-preparedness is a must for high quality HIV education in the classroom. This book examines how the curriculum and practices in pre-service teacher training institutions address issues of HIV and gender equality in three East African countries: Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. The authors argue that current practices are inadequate to educate future teachers about gender and HIV and do not deal with the issues in enough depth. Their recommendations include making HIV and AIDS education a separate examinable subject, with more teaching materials made available and stronger objectives laid out in the curriculum. Education policy-makers, teacher trainers and anyone concerned with teacher education will find this a useful and informative book.