Problems in Managing Educators with HIV/AIDS in South African Schools

Abstract

HIV/AIDS poses a severe threat to the quality of schooling in South Africa. School principals may play a key role in managing educators with (Human Immunodeficiency Virus/ Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS). This article reports on part of the investigation done for a Master’s dissertation. Its research aim was to identify the needs and challenges which school principals face in managing educators with HIV/AIDS. The purpose of this article was to identify strategies for the management of educators infected with HIV/AIDS in schools. In order to obtain a better understanding of the problem, a qualitative research strategy, in particular an interpretative approach, was selected as the most appropriate research design. Data collection was done by means of individual interviews with school principals and focus group interviews with teachers, while the data analysis was done using Colaizzi’s approach. The findings reveal that there are certain measures which could be a applied to manage educators with HIV/AIDS. The article concludes by making recommendations for principals, the Department of Education and teachers.