Johannesburg — The Minister of Education Naledi Pandor and 23 public higher education institutions have adopted a policy which will guide schools and tertiary institutions to improve their current HIV and AIDS prevention programmes.

Young people in South Africa face the highest rate of HIV infection.

The Policy Framework on HIV and AIDS for Higher Education Institution in South Africa, adopted at an event in Johannesburg on Thursday, recognises that institutions must act to prevent new HIV infections and provide access to treatment, care and support for staff and students infected or affected by the pandemic.

Adopting the policy, Minister Pandor said South Africa was a country with one of the highest HIV and AIDS rates, and therefore there was a need to support those infected and affected by the disease.

Young people in higher education institutions are facing peer pressure, alcohol and drug abuse, said the minister, adding that she was hoping to see chancellors taking a leading role in the implementation of the framework.

"We can do no less if we were to save young people to this serious threat, I'm looking forward to the concrete plans to the framework which will see the reduction of the epidemic," she said.

Ms Pandor said the programme provided support to 745 000 students in higher education institutions.

"We also want to encourage student organisations to urge students to get tested. They should know their status," Minister Pandor said.

Professor Rachel Gumbi from University of KwaZulu-Natal, who is a board member of Higher Education of South Africa (HESA), said they have realised that colleges, universities and technikons were affected by HIV and AIDS and therefore they decided to look at the endorsement of the policy to reduce the levels of the epidemic.

"We are at the stage to use the policy as term of guidelines, 23 institutions are ready to work and colleagues will grab this with both arms," Ms Gumbi said, adding that they have learned a lot from global villages like India and China, which they worked with.

HESA Chairperson Dr Theuns Eloff said the responsibilities of the Education Ministry and HESA are to champion the sector's activities on HIV and AIDS including the mobilisation of resources, advice and technical support and country level monitoring and evaluation mechanisms needed for the implementation of the framework.

He added that HESA was committed to on going capacity building.

The Department of Education has created an enabling environment to ensure that the national education system plays it part in stemming the HIV and AIDS epidemic and to ensure that the rights of all infected with the diseases are fully protected.

The Tirisano programme, which forms part of the department's five year strategy to implement education and training for the 21st century, consists of five core programmes that address the educational, health and social needs of learners.

South African government policy advocates the full integration of HIV and AIDS into education and training, stretching beyond prevention and also demanding other inter-sectoral initiatives to ensure those infected and affected by HIV and AIDS can be identified and support.