"Teachers are at substantial risk of getting infected with HIV/AIDS and already one third of them are likely to be infected with the virus," local newspaper The Herald reported on Tuesday.

The Zimbabwe National Commissioner for United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Josiah Mhlanga, was quoted as saying that an evaluation of the Life Skills Program had shown that most HIV/AIDS initiatives focused on pupils with little emphasis on the teachers.

"Teachers are a key resource in responding to HIV/AIDS in the education sector and need to be trained and equipped to maximize the impact of education on the epidemic along the prevention to care continuum," said Mhlanga.

Mhlanga said it was crucial that teachers have the skills to educate children on sexuality, reproductive health and the impact of HIV and AIDS on their work and daily lives.

UNESCO, in collaboration with the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, held a week-long workshop recently to review the HIV/AIDS syllabus for teachers' colleges and build the teacher 's capacity on issues to deal with post-test support services.

This would complement the compulsory teaching of HIV/AIDS and Life Skills Education in primary and secondary schools, which the government initiated in 1995.

All these initiatives have resulted in people, even young children, having some forms of knowledge about HIV/AIDS.

Source: Xinhua