Education and HIV/AIDS: A case study of educational practices of the indigenous Fantes, in the Cape Coast Municipality of Ghana

Abstract

This study addresses how Ghanaian educational systems educate the people of Cape Coast about the causes and prevention of the HIV/AIDS epidemic HIV/AIDS has been identified as one of the main challenges facing the educational sector in Ghana that deals with children from pre-school, basic, secondary and tertiary institution. Everyone in these categories, all children and students are at risk. Traditionally, puberty rites were used as a societal demand for adolescents to know their sexual life. The Ghana government has not included HIV/AIDS in the curriculum as a holistic subject where students can be tested about their knowledge. The government is double-minded recognizing traditional ideas and modern ideas. That is because there are many rites of passage embedded in Ghanaian cultural systems which make it difficult for the government to adopt one form of rite to be taught in schools. This creates a difficult situation The study reveals that the Fante puberty rites could be adopted on the Alert School Model to help prevent HIV/AIDS. It was realized that teachers in Cape Coast municipality are doing their best to teach HIV/AIDS education in schools despite the challenges they faced from the Ghana Education Service. The role of Fanti home based educational practices strongly influenced by traditional beliefs and practices will be compared and contrasted to modern public school based education and teaching young people about HIV/AIDS prevention. The method that was used in data collection at Cape Coast was interviews, observation and conversation which covered a sample of twenty one informants. Seven of the informants interview where used in the study. I supported primary data with secondary data from the Ghana HIV Sentinel Surveillance report, the impact evaluation of the alert school model and the HIV Alert School Model The findings in the study were analyzed qualitatively. A detailed description of puberty rites and the alert school model were discussed. Based on the findings in the study at Cape Coast, suggested recommendation and conclusion were drawn.