- Astiba Kebong’o argues that reducing HIV infections among learners requires schools to strengthen mentorship, character formation, counselling and values education alongside HIV awareness.
- Rising HIV infections among adolescents demonstrate that awareness alone is insufficient to change behaviour.
- Schools should complement HIV education with stronger values, mentorship and character development.
- Protecting learners requires collaboration among schools, parents, communities and health institutions.
Despite decades of structured HIV education in Kenyan schools, new HIV infections among young people remain an urgent national concern. National statistics continue to show that adolescents and young adults account for a disproportionate share of new infections.
This paradox raises an important question: if learners are well informed about HIV, why do new infections continue to occur?
The answer suggests that awareness alone is no longer enough. Bridging the gap between knowledge and responsible behaviour requires schools to go beyond biology lessons and deliberately strengthen character formation, ethical values and sound decision-making.
Schools are more than centres of academic instruction; they are environments where values, attitudes and lifelong habits are nurtured.
Within this environment, learners living with HIV deserve dignity, respect and equal educational opportunities.
This is not only a moral responsibility but also a legal obligation.
Article 31 of the Constitution of Kenya (2010) guarantees every person the right to privacy, while Section 22 of the HIV and AIDS Prevention and Control Act (HAPCA) protects the confidentiality of an individual’s HIV status.
A learner’s medical condition should never become a source of stigma, discrimination or bullying.
As Dr Ruth Masha, Chief Executive Officer of the National Syndemic Diseases Control Council (NSDCC), observed: “To win the fight against HIV, we must dismantle the barriers of stigma and discrimination that keep young people from seeking testing, care and support.”
Education beyond examinations
As a teacher of English Language and Literature, I have witnessed how integrated learning shapes young minds.
Through literature, comprehension passages, Biology, Life Skills Education and Guidance and Counselling, learners regularly encounter themes of empathy, health, responsibility and accountability.
However, success should never be measured solely through examination results.
Education must translate into positive behavioural change that protects lives.
The Guidance and Counselling Department should therefore provide confidential counselling, strengthen learners’ self-esteem, teach peer-resistance skills and offer psychosocial support to learners living with HIV.
School administrations should enforce anti-stigma policies while creating environments where bullying and discrimination are not tolerated.
Teachers should model integrity, provide mentorship and create safe spaces where learners feel comfortable discussing difficult issues.
Parents and guardians equally have a responsibility to initiate honest, age-appropriate conversations about relationships, sexuality and personal responsibility.
Faith-based organisations should complement these efforts by promoting moral guidance while demonstrating compassion and support for affected learners.
The need for systemic reforms
The Ministry of Education, together with the National Syndemic Diseases Control Council (NSDCC), the National AIDS and STI Control Programme (NASCOP), KENEPOTE, the Kenya Red Cross Society and UNAIDS, has made commendable progress in HIV education.
Nevertheless, persistent infection rates demonstrate that additional interventions remain necessary.
Teacher training institutions should equip educators with modern mentoring and counselling skills that enable them to respond effectively to the realities facing today’s adolescents.
School discipline should also be viewed more broadly.
True discipline is not merely the enforcement of rules but the development of self-control, respect for others and personal responsibility.
As UNAIDS notes: “When young people have access to comprehensive health and relationship education, alongside supportive school environments, they are up to 60% less likely to contract HIV.”
Kenya can also learn valuable lessons from neighbouring Uganda, where sustained community engagement, public education, visible leadership and reduced stigma contributed significantly to reducing HIV infections.
While Kenya’s circumstances differ, many of these approaches remain relevant and adaptable.
A shared national responsibility
Protecting learners from HIV while safeguarding those already living with the virus from stigma is more than a public health responsibility.
It is an educational, moral and national obligation.
A healthy learner today becomes a productive citizen tomorrow.
Building that future requires schools, families, communities, religious institutions and government agencies to work together in nurturing informed, responsible and compassionate young people.
By Astiba Kebong’o
Kebong’o is an educator.
Email: jackiekebongo@gmail.com
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