TTLA: Current status of access and school integration of children infected with HIV/AIDS (Case study of Hanoi city)

Author name:NguyenLe Hoai Anh

Thesis title:Current status of access and school integration of children infected with HIV/AIDS (Case study of Hanoi city)

Dissertation field: Social sciences

Major: Sociology Code: 62 31 30 01

Name of the postgraduate training unit: University of Social Sciences and Humanities - Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

1. Purpose and research objects of the thesis

1.1. Research purpose

The topic aims to understand the current situation of access to education and school integration of children with HIV/AIDS in Hanoi, the barriers that they have encountered and are encountering in this process, and from there propose appropriate solutions to ensure their rights and needs to integrate into education like all other children.

1.2. Research subjects

The research object of the thesis is access and school integration of children infected with HIV/AIDS in Hanoi.

2. Research methods used

The thesis uses an approach based on children's rights and the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS. Qualitative and quantitative research methods are combined to collect information for the topic including: document analysis, questionnaire interviews, in-depth interviews, and focus group discussions.

3. Main results and conclusions

3.1. Main results

- Based on an overview of relevant studies on children infected with HIV/AIDS, the thesis shows that most of the works focus on the fields of health care, health care, stigma and discrimination against children infected with HIV/AIDS, but there has been no independent research on their integration in schools.

- The thesis has clarified the theoretical basis of some related concepts and theories, and at the same time studied the policies and laws on the right to education of children infected with HIV/AIDS, the current situation of HIV/AIDS in Hanoi and lessons learned on ensuring the right to education and integration in schools for children infected with HIV/AIDS in Vietnam.

- By combining the use of quantitative and qualitative sociological investigation methods, the thesis has shown the current situation of access and school integration of children infected with HIV/AIDS from the assessment of children infected with HIV/AIDS, children not infected with HIV/AIDS, their parents/caregivers/guardians, teachers and education, law, health and local government officials.

- The thesis has pointed out the barriers to the process of accessing and integrating into school of children infected with HIV/AIDS such as demographic and social characteristics of children infected with HIV/AIDS; law enforcement, policies; awareness, attitudes and behaviors of caregivers of HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected children, teachers and the children themselves.

- The thesis has pointed out the essential need for children infected with HIV/AIDS to study and integrate with their peers.

- The thesis has proposed a number of measures and recommendations to ensure the right to access education and school integration of children infected with HIV/AIDS.

3.2. Conclusion

- Since the HIV/AIDS pandemic appeared in 1981 and broke out worldwide until now, research on HIV/AIDS has been very diverse and rich in many different fields, focusing mostly on the fields of health, care, treatment and for high-risk groups, adults. Children infected and affected by HIV/AIDS are considered the third generation but are the most vulnerable group, most severely affected by this pandemic, but research on this group of children and the problems they are facing still accounts for a modest proportion of the large number of works on HIV/AIDS in general. Research on children infected and affected by HIV/AIDS also largely focuses on the fields of health, stigma and discrimination, while the field of education, the right to education of children is only mentioned sporadically in research on HIV/AIDS in general. In particular, research on inclusive learning for children infected with HIV/AIDS is lacking and needs more attention and research.

- To study the actual situation of access and integration into school of children infected with HIV/AIDS, the concepts: children infected with HIV/AIDS, access to inclusive education have been defined, operationalized and the theory of socialization and stigma is applied to analyze and explain the research problem. Policies and laws related to the right to study and integration of children infected with HIV/AIDS, the current situation of HIV/AIDS infection and lessons learned from successful integration for children infected with HIV/AIDS are referred to in proposing solutions to ensure the right to go to school and integration for children infected with HIV in Hanoi.

- All HIV/AIDS-infected children aged 6 and above who participated in the survey have been and are going to school, but most children under 6 years old are not guaranteed the right to go to nursery schools or kindergartens. The study shows that there is a difference in the access to education of HIV/AIDS-infected children compared to the control group and between HIV/AIDS-infected children living at Center 02 and children living in the community. Accordingly, HIV/AIDS-infected children, especially those at Center 02, face the most difficulties, obstacles and hardships compared to other groups of children to go to school.

- The level of school integration of children infected with HIV/AIDS is lower than that of children in the control group, and that of children infected with HIV living at Center 02 is more limited than that of children living in the community in many different aspects. Accordingly, only children infected with HIV/AIDS living in the community and high school children living at Center 02 study in the same classroom with children not infected with HIV/AIDS in the school in their area of ​​residence, while children in primary school still have to study in isolation in separate classrooms at Center 02 and children in secondary school have to study in separate classes in secondary schools. The learning outcomes and participation in collective activities of children infected with HIV/AIDS are lower, but the psychological problems encountered are more than those of children not infected with HIV/AIDS.

- Thanks to advances in healthcare that have improved the health of children infected with HIV/AIDS, the strong implementation of the legal system and policies related to the right to study and education of children infected with HIV/AIDS as well as the awareness and determination of parents and caregivers of children infected with HIV/AIDS, their right to access education has been guaranteed. However, excessive worries and fears about the risk of HIV/AIDS transmission in schools by parents of children not infected with HIV/AIDS, teachers; the specific medical care of children infected with HIV/AIDS; self-stigma of parents/caregivers of children infected with HIV/AIDS; awareness of the health status of children infected with HIV/AIDS are still barriers affecting the school integration process of children infected with HIV/AIDS.

- The thorough implementation of legal regulations, synchronous coordination of solutions of ministries, departments, branches, and related forces, raising public awareness of the risk of HIV/AIDS transmission in schools, especially promoting the role of social work and school psychology counselors will ensure the rights and needs of integrated learning of children infected with HIV/AIDS in Hanoi.

 SUMMARY OF DOCTORAL THESIS

The author's name:NguyenLe Hoai Anh

Thesis title:TheSschool admission'Saccess and inclusion of children infected by HIV/AIDS (Case study of Hanoi city)

Scientific branch of the thesis: Social science

Major: Sociology Code: 62 31 30 01

The name of postgraduate training institution: University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Hanoi National University.

1. Thesis purpose and objectives

1.1. Thesis purpose

This research aims to understand the situation of educational access and school's inclusion of children infected by HIV/AIDS in Hanoi city, the barriers they have been facing in this process, then suggests appropriate solutions to ensure the right and need of children living with HIV/AIDS for inclusive learning like all other children.

1.2. Thesis objectives

Thesis objective is approaching and integrating school of children infected with HIV/AIDS in Hanoi

2. Research methods

This thesis is based on approaching methodology of children and people living with HIV/AIDS's rights. The qualitative and quantitative research methods were used to collect data including: document analysis, questionnaire interviews, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions.

3. Major results and conclusions

3.1.The major results

- Based on an overview of relevant studies on HIV/AIDS-infected children, the thesis shows that most of the researches focus on the field of health, health care, stigma and discrimination with children infected by HIV/AIDS but lack independent researches on their inclusion in school.

- The thesis has explained the theoretical basis with a number of related definitions and theories and some laws, policies on the right to education of children infected by HIV/AIDS, the situation of HIV / AIDS in Hanoi and experience of ensuring attendance and inclusion in school of children infected by HIV/AIDS in Vietnam.

- By combining the use of quantitative and qualitative methods of sociology, the thesis has pointed out the situation of access and integration of children infected by HIV/AIDS from the assessment of children infected and non infected by HIV/AIDS, parents/caregivers/guardians of children, teachers and other officials.

- The thesis has pointed out barriers to the process of access and integration of children with HIV/AIDS such as demography and social characteristics of children infected with HIV/AIDS; law enforcement, policy; awareness, attitudes and behaviors of caregivers of HIV-infected and non-HIV-infected children, teachers and children.

- The thesis has pointed out the essential need of children infected by HIV/AIDS in inclusive learning like peers.

- The thesis has proposed a number of measures and recommendations to ensure the right to educational access and inclusion in school of children infected by HIV/AIDS.

3.2.Conclusions

- Since the HIV/AIDS epidemic appeared in 1981 and broke out all over the world so far, researches on HIV/AIDS have been diverse in many different areas, including focusing on most in the field of health, care and treatment for high-risk adult groups. Children infected and affected by HIV/AIDS are considered the third generation but were the most vulnerable by this epidemic but studying the problems that they were to face with still limited in the massive researches of HIV/AIDS in general. Studies on children infected and affected by HIV/AIDS were also largely focused on the health sector, stigma and discrimination, while the educational sector and their righs to learn are only scattered in some HIV/AIDS studies. Especially, the research on inclusive learning for children infected with HIV/AIDS is even more lacking, needing more attention.

- To understand the current situation of accessing and inclusing in the school of children infected with HIV/AIDS, some definitions such as children infected with HIV/AIDS, educational access and inclusive learning were defined in details. Socialization and stigma's theories were applied to explain this research's issues. The policies and laws relating to the learning and integrating rights of children infected with HIV/AIDS, HIV/AIDS epidemic and experience of successful inclusion for children infected with HIV/AIDS are referred to proposed solutions to ensure school attendance and integration for HIV- infected children in Hanoi city.

- All children infected with HIV/AIDS from 6 years old participating in this survey are attending school, but most children under 6 years old weren't guaranteed the right to go to the kindergarten. This research shows that there was a difference in the process of educational access of children infected with HIV / AIDS compared to the control group and among the group of HIV / AIDS-infected children living in the Center 02 with the children living in the community. , children infected with HIV/AIDS, especially children living in the Center 02 faced with a lot of issues in the attendance to school's processes comparing to other groups.

- The level of inclusion in the school of children infected with HIV/AIDS was lower than children in the control group, the children infected with HIV/AIDS living in the Center 02 was more limited than those living in the community in many different aspects. Therefore, only children infected with HIV/AIDS living in the community and whose of high schools living in the Center 02 were allowed to learn in the same class with children non infected with HIV/AIDS in their schools where they are living, but the group of primary school children still have to learn isolated at the private classes at the Center 02 and the secondary children have to attend separate classes in the secondary school. The grades and the participation in the school of children infected with HIV/AIDS are lower than children without HIV/AIDS but their psychological problems are higher than the control group.

- Thanks to the advances in medical sector that improve the health of children infected with HIV/AIDS, the strong implementation of the legal system and policies related to the learning right of children infected with HIV/AIDS as well as the awareness and determination of parents and caregivers of children infected with HIV/AIDS, so their education access has been guaranteed. However, excessive worries and fears about the risk of HIV/AIDS transmission in schools by parents of children non infected with HIV/AIDS, teachers; health's care of children infected with HIV/AIDS; self stigmatization of parents/caregivers of HIV/AIDS-infected children; Responding to the health's status of children with HIV/AIDS were the barriers affecting the integration's process of children with HIV/AIDS.

- The thorough implementation of legal regulations, synchronous coordination of solutions of ministries, departments, raising awareness of the community about the risk of transmission of HIV/AIDS in schools, especially promoting the role of social workers, school psychology counselors will ensure inlusive rights and learning's needs of children infected with HIV/AIDS in Hanoi city.