the impact of hiv/aids on the education sector in tanzania

1.1 Introduction
1. BACKGROUND
The overall research project on <strong>the</strong> <strong>impact</strong> <strong>of</strong> HIV/AIDS in <strong>the</strong> education sector in
Tanzania has been divided into five areas <strong>of</strong> study:
� educational policy, leadership and advocacy;
� educational governance;
� enrolment, attendance and instruction;
� selected schools and communities in Iringa Urban District, and
� tertiary education institutions.
The present study analyses <strong>the</strong> <strong>impact</strong> <strong>of</strong> HIV/AIDS on <strong>the</strong> education sector and
assesses <strong>the</strong> sectoral and multi-sectoral responses to <strong>the</strong> HIV/AIDS pandemic, for example,
how policies are being implemented for teacher recruitment and training and how <strong>the</strong>se
activities have changed in response to <strong>the</strong> epidemic. The study also explores <strong>the</strong> roles <strong>of</strong>
different actors in providing leadership and advocacy on HIV/AIDS issues, on aspects <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>
organizational climate and on practices that favour or hinder <strong>the</strong> dissemination <strong>of</strong> information
on HIV/AIDS.
The project is a collaborative venture between <strong>the</strong> Ministry <strong>of</strong> Education and Culture
(MoEC) and <strong>the</strong> International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP), which is part <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>
United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
1.2 Justification for <strong>the</strong> study
There is a particular need for a study <strong>of</strong> this nature on <strong>the</strong> Tanzanian education sector
for four principal reasons:
� The epidemic has emerged as a major threat to achieving Education for All (EFA) goals.
Therefore, responding to <strong>the</strong> epidemic is now an urgent priority, since it affects <strong>the</strong>
delivery <strong>of</strong> education (i.e. supply, demand, quality and quantity).
� No study has been conducted in Tanzania to date to consider <strong>the</strong> <strong>impact</strong> <strong>of</strong> HIV/AIDS on
policy, leadership and advocacy.
� The number <strong>of</strong> orphaned school children is on <strong>the</strong> increase.
� The education sector is <strong>the</strong> main instrument for developing future human resources.
Therefore, <strong>the</strong> teaching pr<strong>of</strong>ession and its management must be protected against <strong>the</strong>
HIV/AIDS pandemic.
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