The book shows that while gender inequalities in society are driving aspects of the HIV epidemic, democratic learning environments informed by evidence-based policy, implemented with leadership for transforming deeply held values and beliefs regarding sexual behaviour and sexuality can be empowering.

Contributors discuss some key challenges in achieving gender equality in education, give examples of initiatives in a range of contexts, and make recommendations for action. They suggest that there is a more substantive goal to aim for than gender parity, for an equitable education system which allows all individuals to develop their potential.

This book, which was originally written as a dissertation, broadens the approach to gender equality in primary education by exploring the magnitude of complex interactions between schools and rural livelihood household processes in the context of HIV/AIDS. The arguments are based on recent ethnographic research using dimensions of rural pupils', parents', and teachers' responses to the socio-economic impact of HIV/AIDS on their livelihoods. It gives insight into some of the current debates that have been generated in the field of education, HIV/AIDS and rural livelihoods.

More than three decades after the identification of the virus, HIV continues to affect millions of people worldwide. Much progress has been made and infection rates are down in a number of countries. From the beginning the education sector has played a central role in responding to HIV, though its role and the contribution of school-based HIV education has been the subject of much debate. This book explores the major debates and provides an overview of how the role of the education sector and approaches to HIV education have evolved, what has been learned, emerging challenges and opportunities, and proposes a way forward for the education sector to contribute to the prevention of new infections, treatment and care, and reduce stigma and discrimination. The Education on the Move series seeks to bring research knowledge produced by various academic disciplines and within various organizations to those who can shape educational policies and drive reforms.

Drawing on case-study research that examined initiatives which engaged with global aspirations to advance gender equality in schooling in Kenya and South Africa, this book looks at how global frameworks on gender, education and poverty are interpreted in local settings and the politics of implementation. It discusses the forms of global agreements in particular contexts, and allows for an appraisal of how they have been understood by the people who implement them. By using an innovative approach to comparative cross country research, the book illuminates how ideas and actions connect and disconnect around particular meanings of poverty, education and gender in large systems and different settings. Its conclusions will allow assessments of the approach to the post-2015 agenda to be made, taking account of how policy and practice relating to global social justice are negotiated, sometimes negated, the forms in which they are affirmed and the actions that might help enhance them. This book will be valuable for students, researchers, academics, senior teachers, senior government and inter-government officials and senior staff in NGOs working in the field of education and international development, gender, poverty reduction, and social development.

Publisher Description

This book combines analysis of policy and empirically based studies on gender, education, and development.

Given the context and prevalence of HIV/AIDS worldwide, this volume presents information, policy case studies, and empirical research for use by educators, policymakers, and organizations about the relationship between HIV/AIDS and education, including how HIV/AIDS has impacted education systems and the potential impact education has on HIV/AIDS.