About 70 % of the learners surveyed said they knew about HIV and how it infects people. But despite this level of awareness, the sample of almost 900 Grade 8 ‘€“ Grade 12 learners from seven high schools in Pretoria and the Capricorn region in Limpopo, showed that the youth is apathetic to HIV.  Some of the findings are general knowledge and others are shocking, said Jo-Anne Brink, head of the Education Department at the Foundation for Professional Development (FPD).

‘€œFor instance, forty percent of the Grade 8 ‘€“ 12 learners were sexually active. It’€™s kind of in line with the National Survey on Sexual Behaviour. We also found that of those sexually active learners, only 20% of them thought that they were at risk of HIV and only approximately 20% of them had been tested for HIV ever. That was a little bit of a shock because we were hearing in the focus groups as well as the survey that the factual knowledge is pretty high. The learners were quoting all the different prevention methods’€¦ the different transmission methods’€¦ They could quote them all to us. But it was done in quite a detached and unemotional kind of way’€¦ as if they were just reciting facts. So, when it came to assessing whether they were actually at risk, they didn’€™t think they were at risk, which means that they’€™re not translating that factual knowledge. It’€™s just kind of from text-book knowledge. They’€™re not translating that into behaviour’€, she said.

Of the 40% of learners who said they were sexually active, almost half – 19% – also reported that they have multiple sexual partners ‘€“ two or more. Brink said the learners surveyed told researchers that even though they know how to prevent HIV infection, what they know is not always what they do because they find HIV prevention messages boring.  

‘€œThey tell us: ‘€˜You come to us with what is HIV and we’€™re going to switch off. We’€™re going to get bored’€™. What they’€™re telling us is that they are bored and unengaged with the current approach around HIV prevention and what they would look for is a more engaging, open, frank conversation ‘€“ not coming straight at it with ‘€˜what is HIV?’€™. But coming at it from an angle of ‘€˜what is your current life like; what are your realities on the ground, are you sexually active’€™?’€ , Brink explained.

The study also found that learners would prefer it if they could hear about HIV from their own parents.

‘€œThey are not getting those types of conversations from their teachers. They are getting them from their peers, but strangely enough, they didn’€™t know whether to believe peers or not. So, what they found the most credible was actually from their parents, and their parents are not having these conversations with them. They are so keen to engage with their parents, but they have a sense that their parents are very uncomfortable having these conversations’€, said Brink.

Brink believes that the HIV Counselling and Testing campaign that the Health Department is planning to roll out in schools will help re-inforce HIV prevention messages among learners. She was heartened that the study showed high condom usage at about 70%. With HIV prevalence among school learners estimated to be between 2 ‘€“ 5%, she believes that schools are the place where HIV prevention messaging should be targeted at.    

‘€œLess than 5% are going to be HIV-positive. This is less about getting people on treatment because it will be a small percentage that will be positive. It’€™s more about getting those HIV prevention messages coming through strongly; people understanding what are the HIV prevention methods; people engaging with their realities. You sit down in front of a counselor’€¦ As a learner you’€™re probably having the first conversation that you’€™ve ever had that address your realities. Have you had had sex? ‘€¦ That kind of a question’€¦ The learners are telling us that they are not getting those conversations and they want them. They’€™re looking for them in their day-to-day life. This is an opportunity for us to really engage with learners, engage with HIV prevention, engage with how can they be sexually healthy’€.    

The Department of Basic Education has since announced that it will delay the launch of the HIV Counselling and Testing campaign in schools due to legal concerns about testing learners as young as 12 for HIV infection. Several attempts to get clarity from the Department have been unsuccessful. In the meantime, the Health Department has stated the importance of considering HIV testing among learners.      

‘€œEvery society at some stage needs to confront those difficult things. I think the way we should do it (is) we should really be evidence-based, we should consider all the concerns, we should make good preparation(s) and we should consider our young people the most precious possessions. We have to provide them with the best as parents because these are leaders of tomorrow’€, said Dr Thobile Mbengashe, Chief Director for HIV/AIDS and STIs in the national Health Department.