TTLA: The current situation of access to and integration into school for children with HIV/AIDS (Case study of Hanoi City)

Author's name:NguyenLe Hoai Anh

Thesis title:The current situation regarding access to and integration into school for children living 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 scope of the thesis

1.1. Research Objectives

This study aims to investigate the current situation regarding access to education and school inclusion for children with HIV/AIDS in Hanoi, the barriers they have faced and are currently facing, and to propose appropriate solutions to ensure their rights and needs for inclusive education, just like all other children.

1.2. Research Subjects

The subject of this thesis is the school access and inclusion of children with HIV/AIDS in Hanoi.

2. Research methods used

This thesis employs a child rights-based approach, focusing on the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS. A combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods were used to gather 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 with HIV/AIDS, the thesis shows that most works focus on the fields of health, healthcare, stigma and discrimination against children with HIV/AIDS, but there has been no independent research on their integration into schools.

- The thesis clarified the theoretical basis of several related concepts and theories, while also exploring policies and laws regarding the right to education for children with HIV/AIDS, the current situation of HIV/AIDS in Hanoi, and lessons learned on ensuring the right to education and school integration for children with HIV/AIDS in Vietnam.

- By combining quantitative and qualitative sociological research methods, the thesis has revealed the current state of access to and integration into school for children with HIV/AIDS based on assessments from children with HIV/AIDS, children without HIV/AIDS, their parents/caregivers/guardians, teachers, and education, legal, health, and local government officials.

- The thesis identified barriers to the access and integration of children with HIV/AIDS into schooling, such as demographic and social characteristics of the children with HIV/AIDS; the enforcement of laws and policies; and the awareness, attitudes, and behaviors of caregivers of children with and without HIV, teachers, and the children themselves.

- The thesis highlighted the essential need for children with HIV/AIDS to receive inclusive education, just like their peers.

- The thesis proposed several measures and recommendations to ensure the right to access education and school inclusion for children living with HIV/AIDS.

3.2. Conclusion

Since the emergence of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in 1981 and its global spread, research on HIV/AIDS has been diverse and extensive across various fields, with the greatest focus on healthcare, care, treatment, and high-risk groups, primarily adults. Children infected with and affected by HIV/AIDS are considered the third generation, but they are the most vulnerable group, suffering the most severe impacts of this pandemic. However, research on this group and the challenges they face remains relatively small within the vast body of research on HIV/AIDS in general. Studies on children infected with and affected by HIV/AIDS also largely focus on healthcare, stigma, and discrimination, while education and their right to learn have only been sporadically addressed in general HIV/AIDS research. In particular, research on inclusive learning for children with HIV/AIDS is severely lacking and needs more attention and research.

- To understand the reality of access to and integration into schooling for children with HIV/AIDS, the concepts of children with HIV/AIDS, access to inclusive education were defined, operationalized, and socialization theory and stigma were applied to the analysis and explanation of the research problem. Policies and laws related to the right to education and integration of children with HIV/AIDS, the current situation of HIV/AIDS infection, and lessons learned from successful integration experiences for children with HIV/AIDS were referenced in proposing solutions to ensure the right to education and integration for children with HIV in Hanoi.

- All HIV/AIDS-infected children aged 6 and above participating in the survey have been attending school, but the majority of children under 6 years old do not have the right to attend daycare or preschool. The study shows differences in access to education for HIV/AIDS-infected children compared to the control group and within the group of HIV/AIDS-infected children living at Center 02 compared to children living in the community. Accordingly, HIV/AIDS-infected children, especially those at Center 02, face the most difficulties and obstacles compared to other groups of children in order to attend school.

- The level of school integration for children with HIV/AIDS is lower than that of children in the control group. Children with HIV living at Center 02 are more limited compared to children living in the community in many aspects. Specifically, only children with HIV/AIDS living in the community and high school students at Center 02 attend classes with non-HIV/AIDS children in their local schools. Elementary school children remain isolated in separate classrooms at Center 02, and middle school children attend separate classes at their secondary schools. While children with HIV/AIDS have lower academic results and participation in group activities, they face more psychological problems than non-HIV/AIDS children.

- Thanks to advances in healthcare that have improved the health of children with HIV/AIDS, the strong implementation of laws and policies related to the right to education for children with HIV/AIDS, as well as the awareness and determination of parents and caregivers of children with HIV/AIDS, their access to education has been ensured. However, excessive anxiety and fear about the risk of HIV/AIDS transmission in schools among parents of non-HIV/AIDS students and teachers; the specific nature of medical care for children with HIV/AIDS; self-stigma among parents/caregivers of children with HIV/AIDS; and awareness of their own health status remain barriers affecting the school integration of children with HIV/AIDS.

- Thorough implementation of legal regulations, coordinated solutions from ministries, departments, and relevant forces, raising community awareness of the risk of HIV/AIDS transmission in schools, and especially promoting the role of social work and school psychological counselors will ensure the rights and inclusive learning needs of children with HIV/AIDS in Hanoi.

 SUMMARY OF DOCTORAL THESIS

The author's name:NguyenLe Hoai Anh

Thesis title:TheSsituation of school'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.Revisions

- 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.