Prof. Grace Reyes-Sumayo, Natcom’s Focal Person for HIV Preventive Education and Ms. Emmy Anne B. Yanga, Natcom’s Development Management Officer II, participated in a workshop on Education Sector Response to HIV, Drugs and Sexuality in Indonesia held at Crowne Plaza Hotel, Jakarta, Indonesia from 3 to 4 December 2009. The workshop was organized by UNESCO Office in Jakarta in cooperation with the Atma Jaya Catholic University.

The two-day workshop was highlighted by a presentation of the draft paper on the education sector response to HIV, Drugs and Sexuality which focused on the assessment of the integration of reproductive health, HIV and AIDS and drug abuse issues in junior and senior high schools in select Indonesian provinces, e.g. Papua, Maluku, West Kalimantan, Riau islands, DKI Jakarta and Bali.

Indonesia was the pilot country for UNESCO Jakarta’s project on the Review of the Education Sector’s Response to HIV, AIDS, Drugs and Sexuality.  A similar review of the education sector’s response to HIV and AIDS is set to be replicated in the Philippines, Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, and Timor Leste in 2010 to 2011.

The workshop also underlined the importance of the role of the education sector in the overall strategic approach to respond to HIV and AIDS epidemic. UNESCO’s approach is for the education sector to be an effective tool to respond and prevent AIDS, and in parallel, to prevent AIDS within the education sector itself, mainly among the young adolescents who are among the vulnerable groups. 

Best practices on the role of a decentralized education system to respond to HIV was also discussed. To illustrate this strategy, the Papua experience was presented as a best practice on the role of school principals in response to HIV.

On the second day, the participants discussed country presentations on the “National HIV Situation and the Current Barriers to Education Sector Response to HIV, Drugs and Sexuality.” The Philippine representatives reported that the country is considered  a low-prevalence country with only 4,218 HIV reported cases since its first case in January 1984. Prof. Sumayo pointed out that an improved education sector response within the national overall strategy to fight HIV and AIDS is vital in addressing the epidemic.