TY - CHAP AB - The purpose of the study was to analyse approaches to HIV/AIDS education adopted by the Zambian Ministry of Education (MoE), using a holistic approach and focusing on the Zambian culture. This chapter reports on an explorative qualitative study involving focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with Ministry of Education and Health officials, pupils, students, and members of the community. Qualitative analysis was applied and themes from ecological theory were used to organise and discuss data. At the macro level, there was inadequate implementation of HIV/AIDS education in schools, very few handbooks, textbooks and learners’ reading materials, and no discussion of the Zambian cultural (sexual) practices in relation to HIV/AIDS education. Inadequate laws and policies on HIV/AIDS prevention, poverty, unemployment, lack of job creation, and lack of social security were blamed for the lack of positive sexual behaviour changes. Communities had strong theological and metaphysical beliefs including witchcraft and sex with a widow, a menstruating woman or a woman who had an abortion as possible causes of HIV and incurable diseases being a curse from God. At the individual level, the knowledge of HIV/AIDS was high with radio and television being sources of information. Respondents viewed sexual cultures in communities not to have significantly changed. A majority of respondents did not use condoms; most adults continued having multiple sexual partners and women were submissive in marriages. This chapter is useful to policy makers, teachers, pupils/students, and the community, and in understanding interactions and influences of cultures on HIV/AIDS education and government's role in creating an enabling environment to sustain desirable changes. VL - 18 SN - 978-1-78190-233-2, 978-1-78190-232-5/1479-3679 DO - 10.1108/S1479-3679(2012)0000018008 UR - https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-3679(2012)0000018008 AU - Moonga Malambo Rosah ED - Alexander W. Wiseman ED - Ryan N. Glover PY - 2012 Y1 - 2012/01/01 TI - Taking a Holistic Approach to HIV/AIDS Education in Zambian Schools T2 - The Impact of HIV/AIDS on Education Worldwide T3 - International Perspectives on Education and Society PB - Emerald Group Publishing Limited SP - 105 EP - 140 Y2 - 2024/04/25 ER -