The Higher Education HIV/AIDS Programme (HEAIDS) is a nationally co-ordinated initiative to develop and strengthen the capacity of South Africa's higher education sector to respond comprehensively to the challenges posed by the HIV/AIDS pandemic and to play a leadership role in the South African HIV/AIDS response.

HEAIDS is an initiative of the Department of Education and is undertaken on behalf of the Department by Higher Education South Africa (HESA), which represents the vice-chancellors of all 23 public higher education institutions.

It is funded by the European Union under the European Programme for Reconstruction and Development in terms of a partnership agreement with the Department.

The programme aims to enable institutions of higher education to address HIV/AIDS through their mandate to: 

• Undertake advanced teaching and prepare graduates for responsible roles in the world of work.
• Perform research, share knowledge and provide intellectual leadership.
• Develop campus communities as nurturing and enlightened environments for students and staff.

It does this through primary research on aspects of HIV/AIDS pertinent to the sector and through the development of policy frameworks, national norms and standards, teaching curricula and guides to good practice.

HEAIDS has also allocated limited financial assistance to institutions of higher education to help them upgrade or develop their HIV/AIDS programmes.

Funding available for the current phase of HEAIDS, which runs until May 2009, amounts to €20 million.

The HEAIDS mission is to reduce the prevalence of HIV/AIDS among students and staff at institutions of higher education and to mitigate its impact on these institutions enabling them to maintain their core functions of teaching and training, research, and community engagement.

The purpose of HEAIDS is to:

• Reduce the threat of the spread of HIV/AIDS in the higher education sector.
• Mitigate its impact through planning and capacity development.
• Manage the impact of the pandemic in a way that reflects the ethical, social, knowledge transmission and production responsibilities of higher education institutions.

Research

HEAIDS undertakes research that is essential to the development of policy frameworks, the planning of a range of interventions, and the mobilisation of funding for sustained HIV/AIDS programmes across the higher education sector.

Policy, planning and financing

HEAIDS operates indirectly to strengthen HIV/AIDS programmes at higher education institutions through the development of policy frameworks, the provision of planning expertise, evidence-based advocacy for sustainable funding mechanisms and sharing of good practice.

Mainstreaming HIV/AIDS into teaching

HEAIDS has developed and is currently testing an HIV/AIDS module for student teachers countrywide. The aim is to produce a module that will be permanently incorporated into the teacher training curriculum of every education faculty.

Campus HIV/AIDS programme development

HEAIDS has allocated funding to the majority of institutions to help them strengthen their HIV/AIDS programmes for students and staff. HEAIDS closely monitors the use of this funding to ensure that the planned improvements are implemented.

Workplace programme development

HEAIDS has identified the underdevelopment of HIV/AIDS workplace programmes at institutions as a threat to higher education. It is undertaking the research necessary to inform such programmes and will subsequently facilitate the development of a sector-wide policy framework and institution-specific programme plans.

HEAIDS operates as a specialised programme of Higher Education South Africa (HESA), the organisation that represents the executive heads of all higher education institutions. The Department of Education designated HEAIDS as the implementing agency for the programme.

Programme Co-ordinating Unit

The HEAIDS Programme Coordinating Unit (PCU), housed at HESA's offices in Pretoria, is the key implementation structure responsible for the day-to-day management of the programme.

Programme Steering Committee

Strategic management of HEAIDS lies with the Programme Steering Committee (PSC). This includes senior managers of the Department of Education, representatives of HESA, including the organisation's chief executive officer, and representatives of the Delegation of the European Commission.

Strategic Advisory Committee

The HEAIDS Strategic Advisory Committee (SAC) consists of a range of senior university managers and HIV/AIDS experts from within the higher education sector, as well as the president of the South African Union of Students. The SAC is a resource for the PCU and plays a broader advocacy role.

Programme working groups

Several specialised programme working groups are active at operational level.

HIV/AIDS co-ordinating committees at all institutions

The HIV/AIDS co-ordinating committees (HICCs) at individual institutions play an important role in national structures. The HICCS oversee and harmonise various HIV/AIDS interventions on campuses and provide a link between executive management of institutions and operational personnel.