Madam, - Last week World Vision Ireland told the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs that 700,000 new HIV infections could be prevented each year if all children received a complete primary education. We are now asking the Irish Government to increase its spending on education programmes in the developing world from the current 12.9 per cent of bilateral aid to 20 per cent.
The UN has said that education is the "single most effective preventive weapon against HIV/Aids", yet over 100 million children worldwide are still excluded from education.
Girls who stay in school until they are 19 are 60 per cent more likely to delay the onset of sexual activity, reducing their likelihood of being infected.
The children of women with five years' primary education have a survival rate 40 per cent higher than children of women with no education. Girls who stay in school learn about the dangers to their health and are therefore more likely to take preventive measures.
Special attention needs to be paid to education programmes for orphans and vulnerable children, of which in 2003 there were 12.3 million in Sub-Saharan Africa, the same figure as the total number of children in the UK. That number is expected to rise to 18.4 million by 2010.
A monitoring exercise carried out by World Vision found that in four countries (Ethiopia, Uganda, Mozambique and Zambia) children orphaned and made vulnerable by Aids were least likely to be in school and unlikely to be receiving psychological or other support. The cost of school fees and materials and the pressure on children to work were found to be the main causes of low school attendance figures.
While universal primary education is not a substitute for expanded HIV/Aids treatment and prevention, it is a key weapon in fighting the spread and impact of the disease. However, substantial increases in aid are needed to enable all children, particularly girls, orphans and vulnerable children, to attend school.
Ireland has been very progressive in its commitments to the developing world. We have a real opportunity now to lead the way in highlighting the importance of education as a life saver.
World Vision Ireland is hoping that the Government will choose to set an example that can have a dramatic impact on the numbers of people being infected by HIV. - Yours, etc,
HELEN KEOGH, World Vision Ireland, Rathmines, Dublin 6.