Education Sector Response to HIV, Drugs and Sexuality in Indonesia, 2010

Indonesia is facing a progressing HIV epidemic. Despite 20 years of increasingly concerted effort, largely downstream, to prevent the spread of the epidemic, new cases of HIV infection continue to rise. Estimation shows that by the end of 2009 there were 333,200 people living with HIV (PLHIV) in Indonesia. The number of reported cumulative AIDS cases has risen sharply from 2,682 cases in 2004 to 19,973 by December 2009. Among the cases 25% are women.

Outside the protective cover of the family, the education sector, theoretically, provides the best prospects to prevent maturing youth from engaging in behaviors that compromise their long term well-being. The HIV epidemic is clearly a social and behavioral problem where certain conducts in some social-cultural contexts, put the individual at risk of being infected with the inconspicuous virus.

This assessment is about how the education sector in Indonesia prepares students to acquire knowledge and related life skills that will help them prevent HIV infections. Systemic internal review of policies, activities, and related studies were conducted.