What Can Education Do for Hiv/Aids? : Implications for the Administrators and Managers of Higher Education in Africa

The first human retrovirus was isolated in 1978 from an American male with T-cell Leukemia by Gallo and associates. Described for the first time in 1981, the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) become, in the space of few years, one of the most dreadful diseases of all time. While the exact origin and time of the emergence of HIV remain unsettled, it is now obvious that HIV/AIDS is an unprecedented havoc to the human race. The paper x-rayed government policy to the emergence of HIV/AIDS in different countries and argued that international image beyond political concerns, has decreed the agenda. Many countries in Africa initially refused to acknowledge AIDS within their borders for fear of stemming tourism while in the Caribbean the epidemic's full extent is obscured by fear, denial, limited treatment and lack of public health resources. In Africa, the mode of transmission has been mainly through heterosexual networking including premarital, marital and extramarital sexual relationships. The majority of those who became infected with HIV/AIDS are sexually active young people with over 50% of infection occurring in the 15-24 age range. The paper examined reasons why women are more vulnerable to HIV infection and examined how many countries are ‘Getting to Zero'. HIV/AIDS has killed more than 40 million people globally, including celebrated and talented professionals, while in Africa, its consequences for the education sector are devastating affecting teachers, inspectors, administrators, planners and managers. In the light of the above, recommendations to remedy the situation and implications for university administrators in Africa are on offer.