Straight Talk Campaign in Uganda: Evaluation of The School Environment Program

Straight Talk Campaign in Uganda:
Evaluation of the
School Environment Program
Karusa Kiragu1, Tobey Nelson2, Cathy Watson3,

Ann Akia Fiedler4, Medard Muhwezi4, Patrick Walugembe3,
and Richard Kibombo5
1
Horizons/PATH, Nairobi
2
Horizons/International Center for Research on Women, Washington DC
3
Straight Talk Foundation Uganda
4
Formerly Straight Talk Foundation Uganda
5
Makerere University, Uganda
Acknowledgments
The principle investigators for this study were Karusa Kiragu (Horizons/PATH, Nairobi) and Tobey
Nelson (Horizons/ICRW, Washington DC). Data collection was supervised by Richard Kibombo, an
independent statistician consultant at Makerere University. Scott Geibel (Horizons/Population Council,
Nairobi) was the data analyst for the study. The report was prepared by Karusa Kiragu and Tobey
Nelson. Alison Lee (consultant, Washington DC) was in charge of copy-editing and Sherry Hutchinson
(Horizons/Population Council, Washington DC) oversaw the layout.
The research team would like to thank Straight Talk Foundation (STF) for their exceptional support,
including Cathy Watson (STF Director), Anne Akia Fiedler (formerly STF Program director), Medard
Muhwezi (formerly Head, Monitoring and Evaluation Section, STF), and the entire Monitoring and
Evaluation Section. The team would also like to thank the entire SEP department at STF, especially
Beatrice Bainomugisha and Peter Mubala.
Special appreciation is extended to the teachers and learners who answered the questions in the survey.
The authors are grateful to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID-Uganda)
and the Department for International Development (DFID) for funding this evaluation.
This publication was developed and produced by the Horizons and Straight Talk Foundation research
teams. This document was reviewed by members of the research team but it did not receive an external
technical review. The information, findings, and recommendations expressed herein do not necessarily
represent the views of Horizons/Population Council. This document is one of four background documents
to the final report, ―The Straight Talk Campaign in Uganda: Impact of Mass Media Initiatives,‖ which can
be accessed at www.popcouncil.org/pdfs/horizons/UgandaStraightTalk.pdf.
This study and final report were made possible by the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief
and the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International
Development (USAID) under the terms of Cooperative Agreement No. HRN-A-00-97-00012-00.
The contents do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.
Published in September 2007.
This study was also supported by a grant from the UK Department for International Development.
This document may be reproduced in whole or in part without permission of the Straight Talk Foundation provided full source citation is
given and the reproduction is not for commercial purposes.
Table of Contents
Definitions and Abbreviations

Executive Summary 1
Introduction and Background 3
Research questions and objectives 4
Methods 4
Organization of the report 5
Results of the Teachers Survey 6

Demographic characteristics of respondents 6
Exposure to Straight Talk Foundation’s School environment program training (STF SEP) 7
Exposure to and use of ST print materials 8
Number of copies read, source of the most recent newspaper,
and what learned from paper 10
Problems teachers face teaching pupils reproductive health 11
Impact of ST training on teachers’ knowledge and confidence 12
Attitudes toward gender 14
Attitudes toward condoms and family planning 14
Impact of the ST training on teacher comfort in discussing ASRH 16
Other topics 17
Conclusions and recommendations 20
Results of the Learners Survey 22

Demographic characteristics of respondents 22
Exposure to STF SEP activities 23
Knowledge, attitudes, and behavior by ST exposure 28
Multivariate analysis 32
Conclusions and discussion 33
Results of the Situation Analysis 35

Demographic characteristics of schools and respondents 35
Policies and procedures 37
Incorporating ASRH into the school environment 40
Straight Talk presence 43
School support for ASRH training 47
Researcher observations about the school environment 48
Conclusions and discussion 49

Definitions and Abbreviations
ABC Abstinence, Be faithful, Use condoms

ASRH Adolescent sexual and reproductive health
DEO District Education Officer
HIV/AIDS Human Immunodeficiency Syndrome/Acquired Immune Deficiency Disease
LEARNERS All school-going youth and adolescents in Uganda
OVC Orphans and vulnerable children
PIASCY Presidential Initiative on AIDS Strategy for Communication to Youth
Pupils Ugandan youth/adolescents attending primary schools
RH Reproductive health
SEP School Environment Program
ST Straight Talk
STF Straight Talk Foundation
STI Sexually transmitted infection
TT Teacher Talk
USAID United States Agency for International Development
VCT Voluntary counseling and testing
YT Young Talk
Straight Talk: School Environment Program
Executive Summary
The purpose of this report is to document the impact of Straight Talk Foundations (STF) School
Environment Program (SEP). One of the key activities implemented under SEP is special training of
teachers in adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH). After the training, teachers return to
their schools to implement certain activities such as starting Straight Talk (ST) or Young Talk (YT)
clubs, supporting guidance and counseling activities, and fostering an adolescent-friendly
environment. Horizons conducted this SEP evaluation in conjunction with an evaluation of STF mass
media communication programs. Other components included a household survey of parents and a cost
study.1
The evaluation of the SEP program was conducted in 59 schools using three strategies: face-to-face
questionnaire interviews with teachers (n = 560), interviews with students (n = 921) and a situation
analysis and observation of the school environment. The schools were located in four districts: two
were high intensity STF districts (Arua and Soroti) and two were low intensity districts (Kamuli and
Kisoro). Schools were deliberately evenly split across the four districts. About 58 percent were
located in rural areas, 71 percent were primary schools, and 81 percent were government schools.
Data were gathered in June 2006 by trained STF interviewers.
Impact of SEP on Teachers
Of the 560 teachers interviewed, 67 percent were male, 56 percent taught in rural schools, and 75
percent were primary school teachers. About 10 percent had received the special SEP training by STF.
Bivariate analysis reveals that for the most part, teachers who have undergone this training were more
likely to have read the STF newspapers, and were also more likely to use them. The level of ASRH
knowledge among teachers in the study was generally high, regardless of whether or not they had
attended STF training. But teachers who have undergone STF SEP training said they felt more
comfortable than their counterparts in talking to adolescents about ―matters relating to sex.‖ Logistic
regression analysis reveals that teachers who had received STF SEP training were more comfortable
discussing ASRH, and were 2.4 times more likely to report feeling ―very comfortable‖ compared to
those who hade not. Thus the SEP program is having the desired impact among teachers, instilling
self-assuredness in their ability to do their job. The Teacher Survey provided a glimpse of the HIV
testing behavior among teachers, with half having ever been tested for HIV. In addition, half of those
with a partner said that the partner had been tested.
Impact of SEP on Students
Of the 921 learners who completed the self-administered questionnaire, 58 percent were male, 51
percent were attending a school in the rural area, 56 percent were in primary school and their mean
age was 15.8 years. Approximately 45 percent of learners were attending schools where a teacher had
attended SEP training. Around 40 percent of learners reported having a ST or YT club in their school,
and those with an STF SEP-trained teacher in their school were twice as likely to report an ST or YT
club than those without. However, the other results were not as encouraging. For example, it was
anticipated that learners in schools where a teacher had gone through the STF SEP training would
report receiving other related activities, such as having special guests to talk to them about health
1
These reports are available from http://www.straight-talk.or.ug/downloads/downloads.html.
1
matters. The results show that while 70 percent of learners reported this to be the case, 80 percent of
their counterparts in schools without STF SEP-trained teachers reported they had special guests.
Multivariate analysis showed that schools with STF SEP-trained teachers were only 63 percent as
likely to invite guests. This could be a positive finding and it may be that once trained, the teachers
felt capable and that they did not need additional help. Thus this is an area that may benefit from
further investigation.
It was also anticipated that learners in schools where a teacher had gone through the STF SEP training
would report the presence of a teacher that learners could freely ―talk to in private when you have
problems relating to sexuality, growing up, relationships, body changes, etc.‖ This was reported to be
the case by three-quarters of such learners but unexpectedly, by more of their counterparts who did
not have an STF SEP-trained teacher. Multivariate analysis showed that learners with an STF SEP-
trained teacher were only 64 percent as likely as their counterparts to report a teacher they could
confide in. Another puzzling result was that learners with an STF SEP-trained teacher were only 31
percent as likely to report that their school offered counseling as those where a teacher had not be so
trained. Thus there is need for the SEP program to strengthen this aspect of its program as well, and
place as much emphasis on it as it places on the establishment of ST and YT clubs.
Situation Analysis of Schools
Data for the situation analysis were obtained by interviewing a knowledgeable school representative,
usually a head teacher (49 percent) or deputy head teacher (27 percent). About three quarters of the
respondents interviewed were male. Data were also gathered by observations of the school
environment made by the researcher.
While over 90 percent of all schools reported that they receive STF print materials, intervention
schools were more likely to have taken an action as a result. Intervention schools were also more
likely to report having ST or YT clubs, again an important step in adding value to the STF materials.
In half the schools the researchers observed a learning environment that he/she considered to be
active, bright, and engaging, including 62 percent of intervention schools compared to 43 percent of
comparison schools. Researchers were able to observe private counseling rooms in 31 percent of all
schools, and this was significantly more likely in the intervention schools than the comparison
schools (48 percent vs. 13 percent; p < .05). Researchers were also able to observe private areas for
sick children/sick bays in 19 percent of all schools, and intervention sites were also more likely to
have such rooms (32 percent vs. 7 percent, p = 0.000). In 39 percent of all schools, researchers were
able to observe that the school had sanitary pads or materials with which to make sanitary pads
available for girl learners, again with intervention schools significantly more likely to have these
than comparison schools (66 percent vs. 13 percent; p < .05).
However, these positive findings were not always the case with regards to PIASCY-mandated
policies. For example, in the assessment of the presence of eight policies and procedures for various
ASRH-related subjects, intervention sites performed better in four areas, but comparison sites
performed better in the other four. This may imply the intervention and comparison areas are
somewhat at par. STF may be able to add value to its sites, for example by ensuring that all the policy
areas expected are being implemented. However, it is clear that schools with STF-trained staff are
making an effort to implement learner-friendly activities.
2
Introduction and Background
Straight Talk Foundation (STF) is a Ugandan NGO founded in 1997. It was born out of a monthly
UNICEF-funded newspaper for young people called ―Straight Talk‖, which has been published since
1993. Based in Kampala, STF focuses on adolescent reproductive health matters. The initial Straight
Talk newspaper attempted to communicate to teenagers and parents simultaneously. The aim was to
help young people to delay sex, practice safer sex if sexually active, and to help parents and
adolescents to communicate. However, STF recognized the diverse needs of teenagers and developed
a newspaper for younger adolescents called Young Talk in 1998. Over the past five years, STF has
further expanded its readership by producing newspapers for multiple audiences such as Parent Talk,
Straight Talk Sudan, and Scouts Voice. In 2006, STF produced 11.4 million new newspapers
comprising of 56 different issues. Since 1999, STF has also been broadcasting health messages for
adolescents through a half-hour weekly radio program also called Straight Talk. The aim of radio
broadcast is to reach out of school youth who may not be able to read ST newspapers, and to reinforce
messages from the newspapers for those who read them. In 2006, STF was broadcasting in 12
languages. STF also now broadcasts multi-lingual Parent Talk radio programs. Because of its
audience-driven programming, STF is careful not to call its efforts ―campaigns,‖ but rather
―conversations‖ with adolescents. It allows its readers and listeners to determine the content of the
programs and newspapers, and is in communication with them through letters, radio programs or print
media.
STF is also actively involved in schools. It launched its School Environment Program (SEP) in 1999,
largely in the form of school visits. The objective of these visits was to sensitize teachers and learners
about adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH), and to distribute STF newspapers. In the
early 2000s, STF recognized that more needed to be done, and an ecological change was necessary if
schools were to be an effective and friendly place for adolescents to be. This led the SEP program to
evolve from school visits to a full-fledged training effort aimed at impacting both the teacher and the
school environment. Teachers were trained in ASRH, child-friendliness (e.g., comfort discussing
puberty, sexual harassment, etc.) and skills on how to respond to adolescents. In 2002 STF developed
the teacher-centered newspaper Teacher Talk, to complement the student-centered Straight Talk and
Young Talk newspapers. Teacher Talk is written for educators in primary schools, Young Talk for
primary school pupils, and Straight Talk for secondary school learners.
Presently the SEP is being implemented in ten districts in Uganda: Mbale, Kabarole, Ntungamo,
Kamuli, Kisoro, Kibunga, Arua, Soroti, Apac, and Kumi. Three teachers per school—the head
teacher, one male senior teacher, and one female senior teacher—receive training in SEP activities
including Teacher Talk, Young Talk, and, since 2003–4, the Presidential Initiative on AIDS Strategy
for Communication to Youth (PIASCY). The training lasts two days: teachers formulate workplans to
promote adolescent health that they are to implement on return to their schools. The teachers also get
specific training on the formation and management of Young Talk clubs. Community leaders and
parents are also invited as trainees.
The purpose of the SEP training is to increase the number of teachers with knowledge and skills to
meet the ASRH needs of school-going adolescents. It aspires to help teachers appreciate the problems
adolescents experience, and create an empathetic school setting. The project works to improve the
overall environment for adolescents.
SEP efforts are predominantly targeted toward primary schools. However, it does operate in
secondary schools where, in an effort to meet the needs of older adolescents, the SEP team goes into
greater details about sexual health and provides referrals for reproductive health services. SEP trains
six teachers, including the school deputy in charge of the disciplinary committee, the school nurse, the
3
director of studies, a youth-friendly male and female teacher, and the director of studies. The program
also trains 10 learners per school to serve as coordinators of Straight Talk Clubs.
Research Questions and Objectives
The purpose of this evaluation was to examine the impact of SEP on teachers and learners in
participating schools. The outcome measures were knowledge, attitudes, communication practices,
and behavior. The specific research questions were as follows:
Are teachers in schools participating in SEP better skilled at meeting their learners’ needs?
Do learners in schools participating in SEP feel that their teachers are better skilled in meeting the
learners’ needs?
Do schools participating in SEP offer a more adolescent-friendly environment than those who do
not?
Methods
To assess the impact of SEP, a three-pronged study was conducted in 59 schools. It comprised a
survey of teachers (n = 560) and learners (n = 921), and a Situation Analysis of the school. The study
was conducted in four districts: Arua, Soroti, Kisoro, and Kamuli. The districts were evenly split
between those participating in STF SEP activities (intervention sites, specifically Arua and Soroti),
and those which had not been as intensive (comparison sites, specifically Kamuli and Kisoro). This
design allowed a quasi-experimental approach, allowing a comparison between sites where SEP
activities had been active and those in which they were less active. In each participating district, two
counties were selected for data collection, and within each county, two sub-counties were selected,
and from them, two parishes were chosen. Thus a total of 12 counties, 24 sub-counties, and 48
parishes were included in the survey.
The study sites were largely in rural parts of Uganda. However, the research team wanted to document
urban-rural differentials with regards to SEP’s impact. Nationally, Uganda is a rural country, and
only 15 percent of the population resides in urban areas. In order to capture an adequate sample of
urban respondents, the sample was deliberately designed such that 25 percent of the participating
counties were urban counties.
The sample was obtained using a two-stage systematic random sampling procedure. During the first
stage, a list of primary and secondary schools in each participating sub-county was obtained, and
formed the sampling frame. Participating schools were selected using systematic random sampling.
During the second stage, a purposive sample of 10 teachers in each school was obtained. The teachers
were largely selected from those who were available on the day of the interview. The student sample
was based on a randomly selected class, and all the learners in the selected class were invited to
participate.
Data for both study groups were collected in June 2006, using a self-administered pre-tested English
questionnaire. The data were collected by a team of research assistants routinely utilized by STF. The
interviewers went through a 3-day training on data collection procedures. A total of four teams, one
per district, was engaged to collect the data, and each team was supervised by a trained STF
monitoring and evaluation (M&E) staff. Supervision was also provided by a sampling statistician,
who has been involved in this project since inception. The study was approved by the Uganda
National Council for Science and Technology and underwent Horizons/Population Council’s ethical
review process.
4
Prior to arrival at each school, the STF team communicated with district education officials, to ensure
appropriate preparations had been made. On arrival in the selected districts the study team would go
to the district office where they would explain the study to the senior administrator and obtain written
approval to work in the chosen schools. The study team would then travel to the chosen schools, meet
the head teacher or the most senior administrator present and obtain approval to work in the school.
For the teachers study, they would request interviews with any 10 available teachers present in that
school. For the learners, they would randomly select a class and ask the head teacher for permission to
administer the questionnaire to that class. As is the practice in Uganda, school administrators have the
authority to provide informed consent for the pupils in their charge. Before the interview, all
respondents were requested to read and sign a consent form per standard research ethics procedures
and they were given the opportunity to opt out of data collection. The team received 100 percent
participation and no teachers or learners declined to participate once the study was explained to them.
Organization of the Report
The present report is divided into three sections: Results of the Teachers’ Survey; Results of the
Learner Survey; Results of the Situation Analysis.
5
Results of the Teachers Survey
Demographic Characteristics of Respondents
Table 1 presents the demographic characteristics of the teachers who participated in the Teachers’
Survey as part of the SEP evaluation. A total of 560 teachers participated in the survey; two-thirds
were male and 60 percent taught in rural schools. The majority (75 percent) were working in primary
schools, with 44 percent teaching upper primary and 31 percent teaching lower primary. By design,
the teachers were evenly distributed throughout the four districts, as well as in the intervention/
comparison districts. About two-thirds of the teachers were married. The mean age of the respondents
was 32 years, and they had been employed at their current school for an average of 4.7 years (data not
shown).
Table 1 Characteristics of teachers in participating schools

Characteristic Number %
Sex
Male 376 67.1
Female 184 32.9
Location
Urban 226 40.4
Rural 334 59.6
Level of school
Primary 420 75.0
Secondary 140 25.0
Level taught
Lower primary 176 31.4
Upper primary 248 44.3
O level 106 18.9
A level 30 5.4
District
Arua 144 25.7
Soroti 135 24.1
Kamuli 142 25.4
Kisoro 139 24.8
Type of district
Intervention 283 49.9
Comparison 285 50.1
Marital status
Married 361 64.5
Single 170 30.4
Cohabiting 15 2.7
Div/sep/widowed 14 2.5
Total 560 100.0
6
Exposure to Straight Talk Foundation’s School Environment Program

Training (STF SEP)
In addition to documenting the proportion of teachers in the sample who had ever attended a STF SEP
training, the Teacher Survey sought to document the proportion who had ever heard of the STF SEP
training for teachers. The data are presented by relevant demographic characteristics but also by
whether the district was an intervention or comparison district (see Table 2).
Table 2 Percent distribution of teachers by awareness of STF trainings for teachers

Characteristics Ever heard of the Ever attended Ever attended
STF training among training among training among
^ + ^
all respondents ever heard of it all respondents
% % %
Respondent
Male 35.6* 26.1 9.3
Female 47.5* 25.3 12.0
Type of district
Intervention 55.8* 27.3 15.1*
Comparison 23.5* 22.7 5.3*
District
Arua 55.9* 26.6 14.6*
Soroti 55.6* 28.0 15.6*
Kamuli 26.1* 21.6 5.6*
Kisoro 20.9* 24.1 5.0*
Level
Primary 38.9 25.3 9.8
Secondary 41.4 27.6 11.4
Location
Urban 35.6 21.5 7.5
Rural 42.2 28.4 12.0
All 39.5 25.8 10.2
^
n = 560; +n = 220
*Differences within demographic grouping statistically significant (p ≤ 0.05)
About 40 percent of the teachers in the study sample had heard of the STF SEP training for teachers,
and 26 percent of these had ever attended it. This translates to 10 percent of all teachers in the study
group having ever attended the STF SEP training. However, when asked whether they knew of other
teachers in their school who had ever attended the STF SEP trainings, 22 percent of the study sample
said they did.
Most of the statistical differences were in awareness of the trainings (see Table 2, 2nd column). For
example, female teachers were more likely to have heard of the trainings than male teachers (48
percent vs. 36 percent, p = 0.01). As expected, those in intervention districts were more likely to have
heard of the training than those in comparison districts (56 percent vs. 24 percent, p = 0.00). There
were no statistically significant differences in attendance among those who had heard of the training
by the characteristics explored (see Table 2, 3rd column). For example, men who had heard of the
training were no more likely to report having attended it than their female counterparts, neither were
educators in intervention versus comparison districts, primary versus secondary educators, or urban
versus rural educators. However, when the entire sample was taken into consideration and not limited
7
only to those who had heard of the trainings, some differences in attendance were observed (see Table
2, 4th column). For example, respondents in the intervention districts were more likely to have
attended than those in comparison districts (15 percent vs. 5 percent, p = 0.00), as were, marginally,
those in rural compared to urban areas (12 percent vs. 8 percent, p = 0.09).
Of the 57 teachers who had ever attended the STF SEP training, 31 percent had attended during 2005,
28 percent had attended during 2004, 18 percent had attended during 2003, 9 percent during 2002, and
the remaining 14 percent trained in 2001 or earlier. Most (77 percent) of the teachers who had ever
attended the training had attended only once, 16 percent had attended twice, and 7 percent had
attended more than twice.
Teachers who had attended the SFT SEP training were asked what they learned. The most common
response was that they learned how to talk about reproductive health issues (39 percent), how to offer
counseling to the learners (25 percent), how to use Young Talk newspaper (YT) (19 percent), and how
to use Straight Talk (ST) newspaper (11 percent). Trainees were also asked whether they had taken
any action related to learners as a result of the training, and nearly all (95 percent) said they had. The
most common action taken was to start counseling and guidance sessions in the school or in Straight
Talk Clubs and Young Talk Clubs (ST/YT clubs) (85 percent) or encouraging learners to read ST/YT
newspapers (8 percent).
The study also wanted to ascertain whether teachers had access to other types of adolescent
reproductive health training, besides the STF SEP training. So all teachers, regardless of whether they
had attended the training, were asked whether they had attended any reproductive health (RH) training
since the year 2000. Just over a third (37 percent) of all teachers said they had attended a non-STF
training. In other words, more teachers had attended a non-STF training than had attended the STF
SEP training. When combined with the STF SEP training, about half of the teachers who had attended
the STF training had also attended a non-STF training. Most of the non-STF training was conducted
through PIASCY (20 percent) and AMREF (14 percent). The remainder was conducted by over 30
other organizations including Red Cross, Plan, CARE, World Vision, ACFODE, FAWE, DANIDA,
UPHOLD, UNICEF, AYA, and the Girl Guides. Because the ST-related questions were quite specific
to ST activities, it is anticipated that the study will still be able to assess the impact of the training,
though clearly knowledge and skills acquired from other trainings may be difficult to eliminate all
together.
Exposure to and Use of ST Print Materials
Teachers were asked whether they had seen, read, and/or used the three ST print materials that are
designed for use by teachers in schools. The materials are Straight Talk newspaper, Young Talk
newspaper, and Teacher Talk newspaper. Table 3 shows exposure to and use of these newspapers.
8
Table 3 Percent distribution of respondents by awareness of ST trainings for

teachers^
Characteristics Ever seen Ever read Ever used
YT ST TT YT ST TT YT ST TT
% % % % % % % % %
Respondent
Male 94.3 92.5 74.4 85.6 86.7 61.4 51.9 45.0* 27.1*
Female 96.2 93.9 76.9 89.1 86.4 64.1 53.8 31.0* 19.6*
Type of district
Intervention 96.0 96.0* 83.5* 85.7 88.2 68.5* 52.0 44.1 30.5*
Comparison 93.9 89.9* 67.0* 87.9 85.1 56.2* 53.0 36.7 18.9*
Attended STF training
Yes 98.3 96.4 82.1 91.2 87.7 71.9 73.7* 47.4 38.6
No 95.6 94.5 77.9 90.8 90.2 66.1 53.4* 48.5 27.6
Level
Primary 98.8* 91.6* 86.0* 93.3* 84.8 73.6* 62.6* 37.1* 28.8*
Secondary 82.8* 97.2* 41.8* 67.1* 92.1 30.9* 22.1* 50.0* 12.1*
Location
Urban 94.6 95.5 75.9 86.7 87.6 62.9 50.0 36.2* 19.5*
Rural 95.2 91.3 74.8 86.6 85.9 63.3 54.2 44.4* 28.1*
All 94.9 93.0 75.2 88.2 87.2 63.1 52.5 40.4 24.6
Âll calculations based on the total sample (n = 560)

*Differences statistically significant (p < 0.05)
In terms of distribution, Straight Talk newspaper is primarily distributed to secondary schools, with
both Young Talk and Teacher Talk being distributed to primary schools. Over 90 percent of the
teachers had ever seen YT and ST newspapers, and 86 percent of primary teachers had seen Teacher
Talk. When asked whether they had seen any one of the newspapers, all (100 percent) of teachers said
they had seen at least one of them (data not shown). In general, respondents in intervention districts
and in primary schools were significantly more likely than their other counterparts to have seen any of
the three papers. It is noteworthy to comment that there were no differences between urban and rural
areas with regards to having ever seen any of the newspapers, attesting to the program’s wide and
balanced reach.
Nearly all (96 percent) of the teachers had also read at least one issue of the ST newspaper (data not
shown). About 90 percent had read YT or ST newspapers, while 63 percent had ever read Teacher
Talk (see Table 3). With such high levels of YT and ST readership, there was not much variation by
the demographic characteristics explored, except for level of school: as expected, primary school
teachers were more likely than secondary school teachers to have ever read YT. However, there was
variation with regards to Teacher Talk: teachers in intervention schools were more likely to have read
Teacher Talk than those in comparison schools (69 percent vs. 56 percent, p = 0.00), and as expected
teachers in primary schools were also more likely to have read Teacher Talk than those in secondary
schools (74 percent vs. 31 percent, p = 0.00). There were no differences between urban and rural areas
with regards to having ever read any of the newspapers, again demonstrating the program’s wide
coverage.
Teachers were asked whether they had ever used any of the ST newspapers in classroom activities,
and 65 percent said they had used at least one item (data not shown). Table 3 shows that of the three
newspapers, teachers were most likely to have used Young Talk (53 percent), followed by Straight
9
Talk (40 percent), and Teacher Talk (25 percent). Teachers who had attended the STF SEP training
were more likely to use Young Talk than those who had not attended (74 percent vs. 53 percent, p =
0.00). There were no other statistically significant differences in Young Talk newspaper use. It is
noteworthy that there were no urban-rural differences, indicating that teachers in rural areas are just as
likely as those in urban areas to use YT.
Utilization of the Straight Talk newspaper varied by gender, level of schooling, and location of school
(urban vs. rural). Male teachers were more likely to use the ST newspaper than female teachers (45
percent vs. 31 percent, p = 0.01), and teachers employed in rural schools were more likely to have
used it than those in urban areas (44 percent vs. 36 percent, p = 0.01).
Use of the Teacher Talk newspaper also varied by gender, type of district, level of school, and
location of school. Male teachers were more likely than female teachers to use Teacher Talk, teachers
in intervention districts were more likely to use it than those in comparison districts, as expected those
in primary school were more likely to use it than those in secondary schools, and those in rural
schools were more likely to use it than those in urban schools.
Teachers who had ever used any ST print materials were asked how they had used them. The data
show that the most commonly used methods by the teachers was to distribute the newspapers to their
classes and help the learners to read and discuss them (42 percent), followed by keeping the
newspapers in the library (25 percent), giving the newspapers to individual learners (16 percent),
pinning the newspapers on notice boards (6 percent), and other methods (pinning them on classroom
walls, sharing papers during debates, etc.).
Number of Copies Read, Source of the Most Recent Newspaper, and What
Learned from Paper
Straight Talk and Young Talk
Teachers who had ever read ST newspapers were asked how many different copies they had read in
the previous 12 months (YT is distributed monthly). About 40 percent could not recall the specific
number, and simply said ―many.‖ Of the 60 percent who gave a numerical response, the average
number of copies read was 4.9 (see Table 4). Male teachers had read more newspapers than female
teachers (5.4 vs. 4.0, p = 0.00). Teachers in intervention districts had read more copies than those in
comparison districts, those who had ever attended STF SEP training had read more than those who
had not, those in secondary school had read more than those in primary school, and those in urban
settings had read more than those in rural locations. However, none of these differences was
statistically significant except for the urban-rural differentials that achieved borderline significance (p
= 0.07).
10
Table 4 Mean number of copies of Young Talk, Straight Talk, or Teacher Talk read by
those who have ever used these newspapers
Characteristics YT or ST
(n = 493)
Respondent
Male 5.3*
Female 4.0*
Type of district
Intervention 5.3
Comparison 4.6
Attended ST training
Yes 5.3
No 4.6
Level
Primary 4.8
Secondary 5.2
Location
Urban 5.4
Rural 4.7
All 4.9
*Differences statistically significant (p ≤ 0.05)
Teachers who had ever read it were asked from where they got their last issue of ST or YT. Three-
quarters (75 percent) obtained the newspaper from the school, 10 percent from elsewhere (source not
defined), 4 percent from a newspaper, and 4 percent from the Ministry teacher improvement center
(CCT). Another 4 percent could not recall from where they obtained the newspaper.
Teacher Talk is published just three times a year so questions about numbers of copies seen were not
pursued. However, those who had used it were asked what they had learnt. Most (71 percent) said
they learned the qualities of a good teacher, followed by how to counsel pupils (18 percent) and how
to make school attractive to pupils (5 percent). Other elements learned included how to help slow
learners, how to help pupils remain in school, and how to improve the performance of the children
(each mentioned by 0.7 percent of teachers).
Nearly all the teachers (95 percent) who used Teacher Talk said they had taken specific action as a
result of exposure to the newspaper. The most common action was to become a better teacher (54
percent), to counsel learners (32 percent), and to work to retain learners in school (6 percent).
Problems Teachers Face Teaching Pupils Reproductive Health
All teachers, regardless of exposure to ST print materials, were asked to specify the main challenge
they faced in teaching learners about ―reproductive health, growing up, relationships, and similar
topics.‖ The question was confined to the 442 teachers who said they taught various aspects of these
issues, and shows that the main problem reported was teacher-related; specifically lack of skills and
discomfort with the subject matter, reported by around 39 percent of the teachers. The next most
common problems reported were lack of materials (20 percent), lack of interest on the part of learners
(18 percent), lack of parental support (6 percent), lack of time (4 percent), and lack of funds (3
percent).
11
Impact of STF SEP Training on Teachers’ Knowledge and Confidence
One objective of the SEP evaluation, and particularly the teachers’ survey, was to document whether
the STF SEP training for teachers has had a positive effect on their knowledge and confidence to
conduct their job. Therefore a series of true/false questions were included in the questionnaire
regarding this. Table 5 shows the level of knowledge by whether respondents had attended STF SEP
training. The percentages exclude those who answered ―Don’t know,‖ and the corresponding sample
size is indicated. The data show that most teachers are relatively well informed about HIV/AIDS and
reproductive health, as assessed by these measures. Only two questions appeared to be difficult for the
teachers to answer: the question on discordance and the question on male-female infectiousness.
There was no difference in level of knowledge by whether teachers had attended STF SEP training or
not; both groups had similar levels of knowledge and none of the differences was statistically
significant.
A knowledge score was calculated by assigning a point for each correct response for each of the11
questions. Thus scores could range from 0 to 11 points. The mean score for the teachers who had
attended the training was 9.2 points, compared to 9.0 for those who had not attended (p = 0.29). On
average, teachers missed less than two knowledge points, suggesting a high knowledge level with no
differences between those who had attended and those who had not attended STF SEP trainings. Thus
this sample of teachers is relatively informed, a rather expected finding since 37 percent have been
trained in ASRH outside the STF SEP training, and are widely exposed to STF print materials.
12
Table 5 Percent with correct knowledge of selected reproductive health question by

whether they have attended ST training
Variable^ Attended STF Not attend STF All
SEP training SEP training (n = 560)
(n = 57) (n = 503) %
% %
A person can live with AIDS for many years 98.2 98.0 98.0
(n = 547)
If a pregnant women has HIV, chances of 81.1 80.0 80.1

infecting her baby are 100 percent (n = 532)
It is easier for a man to infect a woman than a 39.1 41.4 41.1

woman to infect a man (n = 406)
A girl cannot become pregnant when she has 96.4 94.5 94.7
sex for the first time (n = 544)
A girl cannot become pregnant if she has sex 94.4 96.3 96.1
standing up (n = 508)
If a girl washes her genitalia immediately after 98.2 95.9 96.1

sex, she will not become pregnant (n = 543)
If a man washes his penis immediately after 98.2 98.0 98.0

sex, he cannot get HIV (n = 543)
It is possible for one of the partners in a 70.4 72.9 72.7

couple to be HIV+ and the other to remain
negative even if they are having unprotected
sex (n = 490)
STIs increase the risk for HIV transmission 98.2 96.3 96.5
(n = 541)
It is possible for some women to have STIs 87.7 86.9 87.0

without showing any signs (n = 524)
Men who are circumcised cannot catch HIV 96.4 95.9 95.9
(n = 539)
Êxcludes those who said ―Don’t know‖. Questions slightly paraphrased for ease of reading
Respondents were assessed regarding whether they could identify symptoms of other sexually
transmitted infections (STIs) (apart from AIDS) among males and females. The responses were
unprompted, and respondents gave answers accordingly. For the question related to females,
respondents were allowed to say that some females could be asymptomatic. The results, presented in
Table 6 show that 53 percent of respondents were aware that penile discharge and pain during
urination among males were symptoms of STDs. Other symptoms included pain during urination
(mentioned by 58 percent), ulcers (65 percent), and itching (39 percent). There were no statistically
significant differences between respondents who had undergone STF SEP training with regards to
awareness of male STI symptoms except for itching, where trained teachers were more likely to report
this symptom than untrained respondents (58 percent vs. 37 percent, p = 0.00).
13
Similar proportions were documented regarding female symptoms—about half the teachers were
aware that women can have vaginal discharge, 46 percent were aware that women could experience
pain during urination, 60 percent were aware that females could present with ulcers, and 41 percent
knew that women could present with itching. However, only 16 percent cited infertility as a symptom
of STIs among females, and less than 1 percent reported that females might have no symptoms.
Teachers who had attended the STF SEP training were significantly more likely than those who had
not attended to be aware that discharge (67 percent vs. 50 percent, p = 0.01) and itching (56 percent
vs. 40 percent, p = 0.02) were STI symptoms among females. Oddly, those who had not undergone
training were more likely to know that infertility was a possible symptom among females, although
this difference was not statistically significant (9 percent vs. 17 percent, p = 0.10).
Table 6 Percent of teachers by awareness of STI symptoms and by their STF SEP
training status
Symptoms Attended STF Not attend All
SEP training STF SEP (n = 560)
(n = 57) training %
% (n = 503)
%
Males
Penile discharge 61.4 51.7 52.7
Pain during urination 59.7 57.7 57.9
Ulcers 66.7 64.8 65.0
Itching 57.9* 36.6* 38.7
Females
Vaginal discharge 66.7* 49.5* 51.3
Pain during urination 54.4 44.9 45.9
Ulcers 68.4 58.5 59.5
Itching 56.1* 39.8* 41.4
Infertility 8.8 17.3 16.4
Women may have no symptoms 1.8 0.6 0.7
Mean number of symptoms known (out of 10 possible) 5.6* 4.7* 4.8
*Differences by training status significant (p ≤ 0.05)
When an aggregate STI knowledge score was developed to assess the number of male and female
symptoms a respondent was aware of (range from 0-10 points), participants who had attended STF
SEP training knew a mean of 5.6 symptoms, compared to a mean of 4.7 for those who had not been
trained (p = 0.01).
Attitudes Toward Gender
The attitudes of the teachers toward gender-related issues were also assessed using the questions listed
in Table 7. The percentages exclude those who answered ―don’t know,‖ and the corresponding sample
size is indicated. The results also show a relatively high level of gender support as assessed by these
questions, and that there were no statistically significant differences between teachers who had been
trained and those who had not.
14
Table 7 Percent distribution of attitudes toward gender and attitudes toward

condoms by STF SEP training status
Variable^ Attended STF Not attend All
(n = 57) training %
% (n = 503)
%
Gender
Percent disagree that:
Only male teachers can teach science subjects 98.3 95.6 95.5
(n = 559)
A female teacher cannot manage male students in her 94.4 95.6 95.5
class (n = 557)
Girls are generally not as intelligent as boys (n = 546) 89.1 87.0 87.2
Attitudes toward condoms and family planning

Percent agree that:
Condoms are increasing immorality in Uganda (n = 543) 66.7 71.6 71.1
Condoms are effective in preventing HIV if used 79.6 82.0 81.7
correctly and consistently (n = 525)
Condoms have little holes that allow the virus to pass 39.0 44.4 43.8
through (n = 413)
Schools should provide information about condoms to 81.8 77.9 78.3
adolescents (n = 549)
Schools should provide information about family 80.0 73.2 73.9
planning to adolescents (n = 555)
Teaching adolescents about sex will make them want to 42.9 50.2 49.4
experiment (n = 536)
Êxcludes respondents who said ―Don’t know‖
Attitudes Toward Condoms and Family Planning
Table 7 also shows the teachers’ attitudes toward condoms, and here the results suggest a mixed
picture with no statistically significant differences by training status on all the topics assessed. About
71 percent of respondents agreed with the statement that condoms are increasing immorality in
Uganda, with no differences between those who had gone through the STF SEP training and those
who had not. About 44 percent believed that condoms have holes that allow the virus to pass through,
again with no differences between those who had been trained and those who had not. At the same
time, most (82 percent) of the teachers agreed that condoms are effective in preventing HIV if used
correctly and consistently. Most (78 percent) felt that schools should make information about
condoms available to adolescents. Teachers also seemed open-minded about family planning, and
most (74 percent) felt that schools should provide information on this topic to adolescents. When read
the statement, ―Teaching adolescents will make them want to experiment‖, half (51 percent) of the
teachers agreed, but there was no statistically significant difference by STF SEP training status. These
data suggest that conflicting attitudes pertaining to value-laden topics such as condoms remain, even
among teachers who have gone through the STF SEP training.
15
Impact of the STF SEP Training on Teacher Comfort in Discussing ASRH
The main goal of the STF SEP teacher training is to enhance the teacher’s ability to talk about ASRH
issues to learners with ease and confidence. Therefore the study examined whether teachers who had
gone through the training were more comfortable undertaking a selected set of activities pertaining to
learners, ranging from discussing matters related to sex to making referrals (see list and results in
Table 8). Nearly 90 percent of teachers said they felt comfortable discussing four of the five topics
presented. The only ―problem‖ topic was on sex, where 69 percent of the teachers said they felt
comfortable. Analysis showed that this was the topic where the training made the most difference:
teachers who had been through the STF SEP training were significantly more likely to say they felt
―very comfortable‖ talking about sex than those who had not (86 percent vs. 67 percent, p = 0.02).
There were no other statistically significant differences by training status in the other questions.
Table 8 Percent of teachers who feel “very comfortable” discussing selected topics
with learners by their STF SEP training status
Feel very comfortable: Attended STF Not attend All
(n = 57) training %
% (n = 503)
%
Discussing matters relating to sex 86.0* 67.4* 69.3
Discussing matters relating to HIV 94.7 87.1 87.8
Listening to learners and understanding their needs 94.7 92.2 92.5
Being able to help learners if they come for help 96.5 92.6 93.0
Making referrals for learners who need it 93.0 89.4 89.8
*Differences by training status significant (p ≤ 0.05)
An aggregate score assessing comfort level was computed by awarding a respondent one point for
each item s/he said s/he was ―very comfortable‖ discussing. Thus scores ranged from zero (very
comfortable in none of the items) to five (very comfortable in all five items). The mean comfort score
was 4.3 points, with a statistically significant difference between trained and untrained teachers (4.6
vs. 4.3, p = 0.01). Thus teachers who had gone through the STF SEP training were more likely to
report a greater level of comfort discussing the various reproductive health topics than those who had
not.
Multivariate analysis was conducted to assess whether the STF SEP training was associated with
changes among participants, controlling for confounding variables. The main outcome assessed was
the level of comfort teachers reported in discussing various topics associated with sexuality among
adolescents. The control variables were the teacher’s sex, age, what level s/he taught (primary vs.
secondary), and where the school was located (in an urban vs. a rural area). The results are presented
in Table 9 and suggest that after controlling for these variables, teachers who had attended STF SEP
training were 2.4 times as likely as those who had not to report feeling comfortable in their ability to
discuss reproductive health issues with adolescents.
16
Table 9 Odds of reporting feeling “very comfortable” discussing matters relating to

sex with learners by STF SEP training status
Variable Adjusted OR 95% CI
Attended training
No 1.00
Yes 2.42 1.26–4.65
Sex
Males 1.00
Females 0.84 0.57–1.22
Age 1.03 1.01–1.06
Location of school
Rural 1.00
Urban 0.76 0.54–1.09
Level
Secondary 1.00
Primary 0.87 0.58–1.30
Note: n = 559 observations
Other Topics
Family planning
Teachers were asked whether they knew any methods of family planning (including natural and local
methods), and 98 percent said they did. Those who said they knew were asked to name the ones they
knew, and this was unprompted. Table 10 shows that the most commonly known methods were the
pill, which was mentioned by 88 percent of respondents, followed by the male condom (mentioned by
73 percent of respondents) and Depo-Provera (mentioned by 53 percent of respondents). A small
number of teachers (13) mentioned herbs as methods of family planning (data not shown).
Table 10 further shows that there were no variations in methods mentioned by whether the respondent
had attended STF SEP training except with regards to vasectomy. Just over 26 percent of trained
respondents spontaneously mentioned vasectomy as a method of family planning compared to 17
percent of their untrained counterparts (p = 0.04).
On average, respondents knew 4.2 out of the 14 recognized methods of family planning (excluding
herbs), suggesting low familiarity with the span of contraceptive options available. Teachers who had
attended STF SEP training knew an average of 4.6 methods compared to those who had not attended,
who knew 4.2 methods (p = 0.05)2. Those in intervention districts knew more methods than their
counterparts in comparison districts (4.4 vs. 4.1, p = 0.02). There was no difference in mean number
of methods known by sex (mean methods mentioned by females was 4.3 vs. 4.2 mentioned by males;
p = 0.02), or schooling levels (primary = 4.2, secondary = 4.3, p = 0.68), but teachers in urban schools
knew more methods than those in rural schools (4.5 vs. 4.0, p = 0.00).
2
Because of the small number of respondents who had attended the ST training (n = 57), the mean number of methods
known is skewed by the larger number of untrained respondents (n = 503).
17
Table 10 Percent of teachers who mentioned specific methods of family planning
methods by STF SEP training status
Method Attended STF Not attended STF All
SEP training SEP training n = 560
n = 57 n = 503 %
% %
Pill 87.7 88.3 88.2
Male condom 70.2 73.8 73.4
Female condom 42.1 32.6 33.6
Norplant 30.0 25.1 25.5
Depo-Provera 56.1 52.7 53.0
IUD 28.1 21.5 22.1
Vasectomy 26.3* 15.5* 16.6
Tubal ligation 19.3 21.3 21.1
Diaphragm 8.8 11.1 10.9
Foaming tablets or jellies 10.5 5.0 5.5
Natural family planning 43.9 37.8 38.4
Withdrawal 29.8 24.3 24.8
Emergency contraception 3.5 3.8 3.8
Breastfeeding 7.0 5.8 5.9
Total number of teachers 57 503 560
*Differences by training status statistically significant (p = 0.04)
All teachers were asked whether they had a sexual partner and 76 percent said they did, with no
differences between males and females. About two-thirds (68 percent) of all teachers said they had
children, including 65 percent of males and 73 percent of females (p = 0.07). When asked about their
childbearing intentions, about 27 percent of the study sample said they planned to have children in the
next year, 68 percent said they did not wish to have children, and 5 percent said they or their partner
was currently pregnant. Those who did not plan to have a child in the next year were asked whether
they were using any method of family planning, and 57 percent said they were using a method. This
means that 43 percent of teachers with no desire for children in the next year had an unmet need for
family planning. There were no differences in the percent with unmet need by whether the teachers
had attended STF SEP training or not (33 percent vs. 44 percent, p = 0.256).
The opinions and behavior of teachers and learners
The study provided an opportunity to explore several key questions, including alcohol use among
teachers in the area, sexual harassment between learners, and sexual relationships between learners
and teachers. The question about alcohol use was initially designed to document alcohol abuse in the
teachers’ own schools, but pretests revealed that teachers were displeased by this, and so it was
reworded to reflect alcohol use in ―the area.‖ The results, shown in Table 11, reveal that about 45
percent of teachers considered alcohol abuse use among teachers to be a problem in the schools in
their area, with no difference by training status (p = 0.12) or gender (p = 0.16).
Table 10 also shows that 27 percent of teachers felt that sexual harassment between learners is a ―big
problem‖, with no difference by gender. There was variation by training status: those who had not
18
participated in STF SEP training were more likely to feel that sexual harassment was not a problem in
their schools than those who had (39 percent vs. 21 percent) and this was statistically significant (p =
0.034).
Teachers were also asked whether they were aware of any sexual relationships between teachers and
learners during the year. Fieldwork for the survey was conducted in June 2006, approximately
halfway through the school year, and already 9 percent of teachers said they were aware of such
relationships, with no difference by STF SEP training status or by gender. When asked whether they
thought ―teachers having love (sexual) relationships with learners is a problem in your school,‖ 37
percent of teachers said it was. This was the case across the board, regardless whether or not the
respondents had attended the STF SEP trainings, and regardless of gender.
Table 11 Percent distribution of teachers by opinions about alcohol and sexual

harassment, and percent who are aware of an HIV-positive teacher in their
school
Question Attended Not attended Males Females All
STF SEP STF SEP (n = 367) (n = 184) (n = 560)
training training % % %
(n = 57) (n = 503)
% %
Is alcohol abuse a great problem
among teachers in your area?
Great problem 55.4 43.6 43.4 47.3 44.8
Somewhat of a problem 30.4 30.5 33.1 25.3 30.5
Not a problem at all 14.3 25.9 23.9 27.5 24.7
To what extent is boys and girls
disturbing each other for sex a
problem in your school?
Great problem 29.3* 26.8* 28.5 24.5 27.1
Somewhat of a problem 49.1* 35.4* 85.4 39.7 36.8
Not a problem at all 21.1* 37.8* 36.2 35.9 36.1
Do you know of any teachers who
have been having love
relationships with learners?
Yes 10.5 9.0 9.6 8.2 9.1
No 89.5 91.0 90.4 91.8 89.9
Is this (i.e., teachers having love
relations with learners) a problem
in your school?
Great problem 38.6 36.4 37.8 34.2 36.6
Somewhat a problem 54.4 57.0 56.6 57.1 56.7
Not a problem at all 7.0 6.6 5.6 8.7 6.6
Do you know of any teachers in
your school who are living with
HIV? 21.0 13.8 12.0* 19.6* 14.5
Yes 79.0 86.2 88.0* 80.4* 85.5
No
19
HIV testing and HIV-positive teachers
All the teachers were asked whether they were aware of an HIV-positive teacher in their school, and
15 percent responded affirmatively. There was a slight difference by training status, with 21 percent
of those who had attended an STF SEP training reporting awareness of an HIV-positive teacher,
compared to those who had not (21 percent vs. 14 percent, p = 0.14). However, there was a clear
difference by sex, with females (20 percent) more likely to report awareness of an HIV-positive
teacher than males (12 percent, p = 0.017).
Teachers were asked whether they had ever been tested for HIV, and 54 percent said they had been,
with no difference between males and females (53 percent vs. 57 percent, p = 0.39), or by STF SEP
training status (51 percent among trained, 55 percent among untrained, p = 0.57). Those who had
sexual partners were asked whether the partner had been tested (for those with several partners, they
were asked about their ―main partner‖). Among the 360 teachers who said they had a partner, 53
percent said that the partner had ever been tested, including 55 percent of males and 50 percent of
females (p = 0.67). There was no difference by STF SEP training status: 48 percent of those who had
a partner and who had gone through the training said their partner had been tested, compared to 54
percent of those who had not (p = 0.29). Nearly 90 percent of those who had not been tested expressed
a desire to be tested in the future.
Conclusions and Recommendations
Trained teachers are reading STF print materials and using them
This study evaluated the impact of Straight Talk’s SEP interventions and activities among teachers.
The Teacher Survey explored the extent to which STF SEP-trained teachers are more likely to use
STF print materials in class, are more knowledgeable about ASRH issues, have more favorable
attitudes toward reproductive health, and are better at talking with adolescents about sexuality and
related topics. Bivariate analysis reveals that for the most part, teachers who have undergone STF SEP
training were more likely to have read the STF newspapers, and were also more likely to use them,
even though this was statistically significant only for the use of YT newspaper. Thus trained teachers
are reading STF print materials and using them.
The level of knowledge among teachers in the study was generally high, regardless of whether or not
they had attended ST training. But teachers who had attended the training had a slight edge above
those who had not, especially in detailed topics such as symptoms of STIs. Still, there were large gaps
in knowledge: for example, most teachers were not aware that infertility could be a symptom of STIs
among females, nor were many aware that STIs among females could be asymptomatic. Many
teachers remain uninformed about methods of family planning: on average, they only knew 4.2 out of
the 14 recognized methods. Thus there is a need to move beyond basic HIV/AIDS information, which
most teachers have grasped, and to fill specific gaps in reproductive health knowledge such as STIs
and family planning.
In general, both trained and untrained teachers held favorable attitudes toward gender, and training
status did not appear to be associated with a comparative advantage. In addition, both trained and
untrained teachers still had conflicts about condoms, with over a third of each group holding attitudes
that would hinder condom use, such as a belief that condoms had holes or that they promote
immorality. Yet most teachers felt that condoms are effective in preventing HIV and that learners
should be educated about them. These conflicts may be a reflection of the general debate about
20
condoms in Uganda, where there has been renewed discussion about the ABCs and how to attain the
best balance.
The most significant finding, however, is that teachers who have undergone STF SEP training said
they felt more comfortable than their counterparts in talking to adolescents about ―matters relating to
sex.‖ Logistic regression analysis reveals that teachers who had received STF SEP training were more
comfortable discussing ASRH, and were 2.4 times more likely to report feeling ―very comfortable‖
compared to those who have not. Thus the SEP program is having the desired impact among teachers,
instilling self-assuredness in their ability to do their job.
Teachers continue to have concerns about the school environment. Nearly half felt that alcohol use is
a problem in the schools in their areas, more than a quarter felt that sexual harassment between
learners is a ―big problem,‖ and nearly 40 percent felt that teacher-learner sexual relationships is a
concern in their schools. These pose new challenges for the next stage of SEP, with a need for skills
that can enable teachers to address these problems among their learners.
SEP is being implemented in the midst of a glut of BCC activities in Uganda. Therefore for it to have
a more discernable impact, more effort may be needed. This is particularly important because many
teachers have been receiving training on ASRH elsewhere—indeed, while 10 percent of the study
sample had received STF SEP training, nearly 40 percent had received ASRH training elsewhere.
These trainings are, of course, complementary and desirable; however, they blur the contribution of
SEP. Therefore STF may need to re-invigorate its SEP activities if it aspires to contribute more
strongly to the ASRH training of teachers in the country.
The Teacher Survey was undertaken after nearly a decade of highly successful ST programming. This
is reflected in the study’s findings that nearly all the teachers in both intervention and comparison
sites had read at least one issue of STF newspapers; indeed those in the comparison sites had read 4.6
issues in the previous 12 months, compared to those in the intervention sites who had read 5.3 issues.
Given that the first publication of STF newspapers was in 1993, and given that the average age of the
teachers in the study sample was 32 years, it is likely that many teachers read STF newspapers when
they were teenagers themselves. Such high exposure may make it hard for STF to accurately tease out
its contribution using a true randomized experimental research design, potentially underestimating—
or overestimating—its impact.
A major finding of the teacher survey is that STF SEP training and STF print materials for teachers
were found in both urban and rural areas, testament to the fact that STF is not an urban phenomenon.
The materials were also found in primary as well as secondary schools. This suggests that STF is
making a difference where most Ugandan teachers and children are (i.e., in rural primary schools).
Finally, the teacher survey provided a glimpse of the HIV testing behavior among teachers, with half
having ever been tested for HIV and the other half not. In addition, half of those with a partner said
that the partner had been tested, the other half had not. The SEP program has an opportunity to
address the personal HIV needs of teachers. In particular, the SEP program can help teachers learn
their HIV status, a job that should be facilitated by the teacher survey’s finding that 90 percent of the
teachers who have not been tested would like to be tested. Any program aimed at encouraging HIV
testing among teachers should encourage couple counseling, since half the teachers are in sexual
relations with partners whose status they do not know.
21
Results of the Student Survey
Demographic Characteristics of Respondents
Table 12 presents the demographic characteristics of the learners in the SEP evaluation student
survey. A total of 921 secondary students and primary pupils participated in the survey, of which 58
percent were male and 42 percent were female. They were evenly split between urban and rural
schools. About 56 percent attended secondary schools and 44 percent attended primary schools. By
design, the learners in the study, like the teachers, were evenly distributed throughout the four districts
and in the intervention/comparison areas. Most of the learners (90 percent) were Christian. Their
mean age was 15.3 years (data not shown).
Table 12 Characteristics of learners in participating schools

Characteristic Number^ %
Sex
Male 530 57.6
Female 391 42.6
Location
Urban 453 49.2
Rural 468 50.8
Level of school
Primary 515 55.9
Secondary 406 44.1
District
Arua 214 23.2
Soroti 223 24.2
Kamuli 230
Kisoro 254
Type of district
Intervention 437 47.5
Comparison 484 52.6
Religion
Christian 818 89.4
Muslim 79 8.6
Other 18 2.0
Total 921 100
^Figures exclude missing values, which comprise less than 2 percent of respondents
Learners were asked who they lived with, and the data show that most (53 percent) lived with both
parents, 20 percent lived with the mother alone, and 8 percent lived with the father alone. Thus
combined, about 81 percent of the learners lived with at least one parent. The remaining 16 percent
lived with other relatives such as siblings, uncles, aunts, and grandparents, while 3 percent lived with
friends or by themselves.
22
Table 13 Living arrangements and educational aspirations

Males Females All
% % %
Who currently live with (n = 919)
Both parents 54.0 52.4 53.3
Mother only 17.8 22.3 7.5
Father only 9.5 4.9 19.7
Other relatives^ 15.5 18.4 16.8
Friends/others/alone 3.2 2.1 2.7
Highest level of education would like to attain (n = 907)
University 76.5 74.0 75.4
College 9.2 12.2 10.5
Secondary (A level) 8.2 7.6 7.9
Secondary (O level) 5.4 5.2 5.4
Others 0.7 1.0 0.8
Total 100.0 100.0 100.0
^Siblings, uncles, aunts, grandparents
The respondents were asked about their education aspirations, and what they thought their highest
level of attainment would be. The results are shown in Table 13. About three-quarters of both boys
and girls aimed to reach university, indicating a strong sense of determination among the study
participants. Around 11 percent planned to reach some other college level, and only 13 percent
expected to end their education at secondary school.
Exposure to STF SEP Activities
Table 14 shows that of the 921 learners, 45 percent were attending schools where at least one teacher
had undergone the STF SEP training program. Learners in intervention schools were more likely to
have a teacher who had attended the training than those in comparison schools (63 percent vs. 29
percent, p = 0.00), while those in rural schools were more likely than those in urban schools to report
that a teacher had attended (56 percent vs. 33 percent, p = 0.00).
23
Table 14 Percent of learners attending schools in which a teacher has gone through
STF SEP training, percent who have ST/YT clubs, and percent who are
members of clubs
Characteristics Teacher has Have a ST/YT Are members Belong to another
gone through club in their of a ST or AIDS club at
+
ST training^ school^ YT club^ school
% % % %
Respondent 47.4 38.4 22.7 36.0
Male 41.7 42.7 27.1 43.7
Female
Type of district
Intervention 62.9* 60.3* 35.7* 34.5*
Comparison 28.7* 22.1* 14.1* 45.2*
STF SEP training status
A teacher has attended — 48.9* 34.1* 31.2*
No teacher has — 33.1* 16.4* 46.6*
attended
Level
Primary 43.3 22.1* 16.5* 43.2
Secondary 47.0 62.6* 34.2* 35.6
Location
Urban 33.3* 44.2* 23.8 32.6*
Rural 56.2* 36.4* 24.8 44.8*
All 45.0 40.2 24.3 39.3
Âmong all respondents (n = 921); +Among those saying there is another AIDS club (n = 512)
Club activities
The learners were asked whether there was a Straight Talk (ST) club or a Young Talk (YT) club in
their school: 40 percent said that there is a ST or YT club, 49 percent said they did not have a ST or
YT club, and 11 percent were not sure whether such a club existed in their school. Generally, ST
clubs in primary schools are referred to as Young Talk clubs, as the Young Talk newspaper is targeted
to primary pupils, and Straight Talk clubs exist in secondary schools, as the Straight Talk newspaper
is targeted to and disseminated in secondary schools. Those in intervention schools and those where a
teacher had attended the STF SEP training were more likely to report having a ST or YT club (49
percent vs. 33 percent; p ≤ 0.05) (see Table 14). Learners in secondary schools and those in urban
areas were also more likely to report the presence of a ST or YT club in their school. This was not
surprising as most of the approximately 800 clubs associated with STF are in secondary schools.
Overall, 63 percent of secondary schools surveyed reported that they had ST clubs.
Learners were asked whether they were members of a ST or YT club. The proportions, presented in
Table 3, are based on the total study sample in order to assess level of activity universally. The data
suggest that 34 percent of secondary school learners were members of ST clubs. Learners in
intervention schools were significantly more likely to report being club members (36 percent vs. 14
percent, p ≤ 0.05). Learners in a school in which a teacher had attended STF SEP training were also
significantly more likely to report being members of the club (34 percent vs. 16 percent, p ≤ 0.05).
There were no differences by urban/rural residence.
24
All respondents were also asked whether they were members of another AIDS club, since there are
several such clubs in many schools. Again the results are based on the total study sample in order to
assess level of activity universally. About 22 percent of the total sample said they belonged to another
club, 34 percent said they did not, and 44 percent said there was no other AIDS club. When confined
to respondents who had another AIDS club besides ST and YT, those where a teacher had gone
through STF SEP training were less likely to belong to another AIDS club than those where a teacher
had not been trained (32 percent versus 47 percent p ≤ 0.05 ), presumably because such schools would
have a ST or YT club. Learners in rural areas were also more likely than those in urban areas to also
belong to another AIDS club (45 percent vs. 33 percent, p ≤ 0.05).
When asked what materials they used in their clubs, most members of ST/YT clubs said ST
newspaper (67 percent), YT newspaper (26 percent), and other materials (6 percent). Members of
other AIDS clubs also reported similar figures: 50 percent said they used ST newspaper, 40 percent
said they used YT newspaper, and 8 percent used other materials. Thus regardless of whether or not
the AIDS club is affiliated with STF, three-quarters of club members said that ST materials were the
main materials they used.
Members of the AIDS clubs, regardless of the sponsorship, were asked whether they had benefited
from the activities and 90 percent (n = 252) said they had. When asked how they had benefited, the
main response was that the clubs provided a safe peer group (56 percent), followed by the explanation
that the clubs availed information (24 percent), that the clubs provided a safe environment (15
percent), and that the clubs had ―fun activities‖ (6 percent). Members of the AIDS clubs were also
asked whether they felt that these clubs had had an impact, and 92 percent said they had. The main
type of impact was addressing HIV (39 percent), helping with guidance and counseling (23 percent),
improving the school environment (20 percent), helping spur the ―talking compound‖ (6 percent),
reducing sexual relationships between learners and teachers (3 percent), improving teacher-student
relationships (3 percent), and others (reduced sexual harassment, stigma, increased tree planting, etc.,
each reported by less than 2 percent).
Club members are encouraged to be advocates for learners who may be treated unfairly. Discussions
with SEP staff presented an example: in one school, a female student was being expelled because of
pregnancy. The club approached the head teacher and requested that the student be allowed to stay, a
request the head teacher permitted after negotiations. To explore the extent to which other schools had
a similar experience, respondents in the study were asked whether they were aware of learners who
had been pregnant and what, if anything, the club did to help such a student. 26 learners said they had
been aware of a student who became pregnant while in school. Of these, 14 said that the club had
done something to help such a student.
Learners who attended schools with ST or YT clubs but who themselves were not members were
asked why they had not joined. Of the 147 learners who fell into this category, the main explanations
were already belonging to another club, not having thought about it, or being busy (see Figure 1).
25
Figure 1 Reasons given by those who are not members of ST/YT clubs
30
25
20
Percent
15
10
5
0
Already Not thought Busy Don't know Not Already Not allowed
member of of it why interested have the by parents
other club information
Reason
Non-members were asked whether even if they did not belong to the ST or YT clubs they had
somehow benefited from ST/YT club activities nonetheless. Of the 119 for whom complete
information was available, 55 percent said they had benefited.
Access to counseling and support
The SEP encourages teachers to invite guests from time to time, to come talk with learners and
motivate them. Therefore study participants were asked whether their school normally invites
someone to come talk to learners about health issues. About three-quarters said their school invites
such guests, with females, those in intervention sites, and those in urban areas, statistically more likely
to report such guests than the other groups (see Table 15). Oddly though, learners in schools where a
teacher had gone through the STF SEP training were less likely to report that the school invites
guests (70 percent vs. 81 percent, p ≤ 0.05). When asked how often such a guest was invited, 43
percent of learners reporting a guest said every term, 19 percent said weekly, 16 percent said monthly,
and 20 percent were not certain how frequently the guests came. When asked what topics were
normally covered, 54 percent of learners reported pregnancy, 23 percent reported HIV transmission,
11 percent reported delaying sex, and 5 percent reported personal hygiene.
Learners were also asked whether they had a ―teacher you can talk to in private when you have a
problem relating to sexuality.‖ The data suggest that teachers in the study sites are very approachable,
as 81 percent of learners said they had access to a student-friendly teacher. Females were much more
likely to say they had such a teacher than males (88 percent vs. 76 percent, p = 0.00), and pupils in
primary schools were more likely to say they had such a teacher than students in secondary school (88
percent vs. 73 percent) (see Table 15). Again, unexpectedly, learners in schools where a teacher had
gone through STF SEP training were less likely to report that they had a teacher they could talk to (76
percent vs. 85 percent, p ≤ 0.05).
26
Table 15 Percent of learners who report guest speakers, percent have a teacher they
can talk to about sexual matters, and percent who report their school has
counseling available^
Characteristics Says that school Says have a Says school offers
invites guest teacher can counseling
speaker talk to %
% %
Respondent
Male 72.5* 76.0* 70.5*
Female 79.8* 88.2* 81.7*
Type of district
Comparison 71.9* 82.4 77.0*
ST training status
A teacher has attended 69.6* 76.3* 67.3*
No teacher has attended 80.5* 85.2* 81.7*
Level
Primary 77.7 87.7* 78.3
Secondary 72.9 72.9* 71.3
Location
Urban 79.5* 82.9 75.9*
Rural 71.8* 79.5 74.6*
All 75.6 81.2 75.3
Âmong all respondents (n = 921)

Learners were also asked whether their school offered ―counseling on sexuality issues for learners,‖
and 75 percent said it did (see Table 15). Again, females were more likely to report such a service
than males. However, learners in comparison sites were more likely than those in intervention sites to
report this service, as were those in primary compared to those in secondary schools. And again,
unexpectedly, learners in schools where a teacher had gone through the STF SEP training were less
likely to report that the school offered counseling (67 percent versus 82 percent, p ≤ 0.05).
Exposure to ST mass media materials
The SEP program distributes ST print materials, including the Straight Talk and Young Talk
newspapers, to learners, and encourages them to listen to ST radio programs. Table 16 shows that 82
percent of learners had ever listened to the ST radio program, 88 percent had ever read the Young Talk
newspaper, and 66 percent had ever read the Straight Talk newspaper.
27
Table 16 Percent exposed to various ST print materials^
Characteristics Ever listen to ST Ever read Ever read
radio program Young Talk Straight Talk
% newspaper newspaper
% %
Respondent
Male 84.0* 88.1 67.7
Female 78.3* 88.0 63.2
Type of district
Comparison 68.8* 83.0 50.8*
ST training status
A teacher has attended 84.3* 86.2 70.7*
No teacher has attended 79.3* 89.6 61.7*
Level
Primary 75.3* 91.1* 45.4*
Secondary 89.4* 84.2* 91.6*
Location
Urban 85.7* 85.7* 74.8*
Rural 77.6* 90.4* 57.0*
All 81.5 88.0 65.8
Âmong all respondents (n = 921)

Males were more likely to have ever listened to the ST radio program, but there were no other
statistically significant differences by gender. Respondents in the intervention sites were more likely
to have listened to the radio program and read ST newspaper. The same pattern was observed
regarding learners in schools where a teacher had attended the STF SEP training; in such schools,
learners were more likely to report listenership to STF radio programs and to have read ST newspaper
(there was no difference with regards to ever reading YT newspaper). Exposure to the newspaper
between primary and secondary schools followed the expected patterns, with secondary school
learners more likely to have ever listened to the radio and ever read ST newspaper, while those in
primary were more likely to have ever read YT. Learners in urban schools were more likely to have
ever listened to ST radio and also to have read the ST newspaper, but those in rural schools were more
likely to have ever read the YT newspaper.
Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behavior by ST Exposure
Knowledge and attitudes by STF SEP exposure
A series of measures were used to assess the knowledge and attitudes of learners. Learners in schools
where a teacher had been trained by STF were compared to those where a teacher had not been
trained, in order to assess the impact of the training. The results are presented in Table 17 and are
inconsistent . In some cases, learners in a school where a teacher had gone through STF SEP training
performed better than those where a teacher had not, but in some cases the reverse was true.
28
Table 17 Percent distribution of knowledge and attitudes of learners

Statement Attended Not attend All
STF SEP STF SEP (n = 921)
training training %
(n = 414) (n = 507)
% %
Knowledge (true/false/don’t know)
A girl cannot get pregnant even if she has sex only once 48.1 48.5 48.7
(% say false)
A person who looks healthy can be infected with HIV 66.3 66.4 66.4
(% say true)
The AIDS virus can be passed from mother to unborn child 76.4 81.9 79.5
Attitudes toward sex (agree/disagree/cannot decide)
Boys with small penises should get worried because it is an 47.1* 54.2* 51.0
abnormal sexual development (% disagree)
Girls with big breasts should get worried because it is an 57.7 59.8 58.9
abnormal sexual development (% disagree)
Nowadays it is not possible for young people like me to 36.5 35.5 35.9
abstain from having sex until age 20 (% disagree)
Condoms are an effective way of protecting against 68.9 72.2 70.4
sexually transmitted infection if used properly (% agree)
Attitudes toward gender (agree/disagree/not sure)

When money is scarce and the family cannot send all 50.2* 59.8* 55.5
children to school, boys should be sent before girls
Boys who have many girlfriends are ―powerful‖ 64.8 66.8 65.7
A girl who gets pregnant while SHE is in school should be 77.4 80.0 78.9
expelled
A schoolboy who makes a schoolgirl pregnant while HE is 65.1 67.4 66.4
in school should be expelled
*Differences between trained and untrained teachers significant at p ≤ 0.05
Sexual behavior by STF SEP exposure
About 22 percent of adolescents (26 percent of males and 15 percent of females) said they had ever
had sex (p = 0.00; see Table 18). There was no difference in ever having had sex by whether a
respondent attended a school where there was an STF SEP-trained teacher or not; 22 percent of
respondents who attended a school with a STF SEP-trained teacher were sexually experienced, as
were 22 percent of respondents who attended a school without one (p = 0.99). The average age at first
sex was 12.7 years, with no difference between males and females (p = 0.33). A quarter of the
sexually experienced adolescents had known their first sexual partner less than a month before they
had sex, another quarter had known him/her between one and 12 months, and 46 percent had known
him/her for over 12 months (data not shown). There were no differences between males and females
(p = 0.80), or by presence or absence of an STF SEP-trained teacher (p = 0.50) for pre-intercourse
duration.
29
Table 18 also shows that half of those who had ever had sex had not had sex in the past 12 months,
suggesting a 50 percent rate of secondary virginity. There was no difference in secondary virginity
between males and females (p = 0.76), nor was there a difference in secondary virginity between
learners attending a school where a teacher had gone through STF SEP training versus not (p = 0.10).
Table 18 Sexual activity and condom use

Characteristic Males Females STF SEP Not STF All
(n = 530) (n = 391) trained SEP (n = 921)
% % (n = 414) trained %
% (n = 507)
%
% ever had a girlfriend/boyfriend 45.8 41.3 43.5 44.3 43.9
% had sex among all respondents 26.5* 14.9* 21.6 21.5 21.5
Mean age at first sex among those had 12.5 13.1 13.2 12.4 12.7
(n = 151)
% had sex in previous 12 months 48.5 50.9 55.8 43.6 49.2
among those ever had sex (n = 187)
Mean number of partners in past 12 1.9* 1.1* 1.5 1.8 1.6
months among those had sex during
that period (n = 85)^
Mean age of last partner∞ 14.2* 18.3* 15.1 16.2 15.5
% used condoms at last sex 34.6 50.0 42.5 34.9 39.2
*Differences significant at p ≤ 0.05

Êxcludes 13 respondents who gave unquantifiable answer like ―many‖ or ―can’t recall‖
∞Excludes 38 percent (73) of respondents who said don’t know age of partner
Learners who had ever had sex were asked why they did so the first time, and the most common
reason was to show love (29 percent), to satisfy curiosity (21percent), and ―don’t know‖ (14 percent)
(see Figure 2). There were large sex differences in the motivation for sexual activity: while most boys
and girls stated that ―showing love‖ was their main reason, the subsequent reasons for males were to
satisfy curiosity, ―don’t know,‖ and ―to secure a girlfriend.‖ For females, the second reason was
―forced,‖ followed by ―partner insisted,‖ and ―don’t know.‖ Put together, force and partner insistence
became the top reason girls had sex the first time. These differences were statistically significant (p =
0.001). This suggests that a) other individuals control the parameters of first intercourse among girls,
and/or b) girls attribute their first intercourse to the will of other individuals, not to themselves.
30
Figure 2 Main reason had sex among those who have ever had
35 32
29
30 26
24
25 21
Percent
20 16
14 14 14
15 12 12
10 10 10 9
10 8 7 7
5 5 6
4 4
5 2
0
curiosity
to marry
insisted
Pressured
Forced
To get a
know
Don't
To show
by friends
Planned
Partner
partner
GF/BF
Satisfy
love
Reason
Males (n = 139) Females (n = 58) All (n = 197)
Learners who had had sex in the previous 12 months (n = 98) were asked how many partners they had
had during that period. As shown in Table 18, the mean number of partners was 1.6, with males
reporting 1.9 and females 1.1 (p = 0.01; the means exclude 13 percent of respondents who said
―many‖ and ―can’t recall‖). There was no difference in number of partners by presence of an STF
SEP-trained teacher (p = 0.24).
All learners who reported that they had engaged in sex in the previous 12 months (n = 98) were also
asked whether they used a condom the last time, and 39 percent said they did (35 percent of males and
50 percent of females, p = 0.098). Put another way, for 61 percent of all sexually active adolescents,
their most recent act of sex was unprotected. This included 65 percent of the males and half of the
females. There was no difference in condom use at last sex by STF SEP-trained teacher status.
Those learners who reported that they had had sex, but had not used a condom at last sex were asked
to state their main reason; their main explanations were ―did not know about condoms‖ (21 percent),
―trusted partner‖ (19 percent), condoms not available (13 percent), and had not planned to have sex
(10 percent). There were some differences by gender: for males, the main reasons were ―did not know
about condoms‖ (22 percent), ―trusted partner‖ (20 percent), and condoms not available (14 percent).
For females it was ―trusted partner‖ (16 percent), forced to have sex (16 percent) and ―didn’t know
about condoms (16 percent), followed by condoms not available (12 percent), partner refused (12
percent), and did not think of it (12 percent). However, the reader is alerted that the denominator for
females is rather small (n = 25) and the results should be interpreted with caution. There were no
major differences in these explanations by STF SEP-trained teacher status except for one: learners in
schools with an STF SEP-trained teacher were less likely to give lack of knowledge about condoms as
the reason they did not use one (30 percent vs. 10 percent), but this was not statistically significant
when viewed against the other ten reasons a student could choose from.
It is hard to imagine in the context of Uganda, with its widespread HIV prevention messages, what
learners meant by ―did not know about condoms.‖
31
Learners who had never had sex were asked the main reason they had not done so, and the results
show that these learners are motivated by the desire for education (42 percent), followed by a desire to
abstain until marriage (19 percent) (see Figure 3). When examined by the presence or absence of an
STF SEP-trained teacher, there no statistically significant differences, but schools with an STF SEP-
trained teacher were more likely to cite abstinence as the main motivation (25 percent vs. 15 percent).
It is noteworthy that learners did not cite fear of STIs or pregnancy as the main motivations,
suggesting that they were basing their decisions to be abstinent on future goals rather than fear.
Figure 3 Reasons for not having sex among those who are not sexually active
60
50 47
42
38
40
Percent
30
20 19 19
20
8 8 8 10
10 7 8 8 7 5 7 6 7 6 5 6
4 3 5
0
Want to Want to Don’t want Not ready Fears STDs Relgious Not Others
finish abstain until to have sex beliefs interested
education marriage
first
Reason
Males (n = 370) Females (n = 324) All (n = 694)
Încludes fear of pregnancy, fear of parents and no one has asked respondent for sex
Multivariate Analysis
Regression analysis was performed to see whether presence of an STF SEP-trained teacher was
associated with the following outcomes:
Presence of an ST club.
Having guests who came to school to give health talks.
Whether there is a teacher learners can talk to.
Whether counseling is offered at school.
The regression equation controlled for age and sex of student, level of school (primary vs. secondary),
and location (urban vs. rural). The results are presented in Table 19 and show that there was an
association between STF SEP training and presence of an ST club. Learners who attended schools
where there was an STF SEP-trained teacher were 2.14 times more likely to report the presence of a
club than those who did not have an STF SEP-trained teacher. However, the data suggest that the
other outcomes were not in the expected direction; learners in schools with STF SEP-trained teachers
were only 63 percent as likely to report that their school invited special guests for health talks. They
were also only 64 percent as likely to say that there was a teacher at the school they could talk to.
Finally, they were only 31 percent as likely to report that counseling was available at their school.
32
Table 19 Odds of selected indicator by whether there is an STF SEP-trained teacher

in the school
Indicator Odds ratio p-value 95 percent CI
Presence of ST club
No STF SEP-trained teacher 1.00
STF SEP-trained teacher present 2.14 0.000 1.54–2.98
Invites guests for health talks
There is a teacher learners can talk to
Counseling is offered at the school
Note: Controlling for age and sex of learners, location of school (urban vs. rural), and level of school (primary vs. secondary)
Regression analysis was also conducted to explore whether there was an association between the
presence of an STF SEP-trained teacher in a school and student behavior. Two outcomes were
measured: sexual activity and condom use. The results show that there was no association between the
presence of an STF SEP-trained teacher and whether the learners reported ever having had sex, after
controlling for sex, age, level of school (primary vs. secondary), or location (urban vs. rural) (data not
shown). The odds ratio for ever had sex was 1.10 (95 percent CI = 0.78–1.58; p = 0.577). Likewise,
there was no association with having used a condom at last sex was 0.58 (95 percent CI = 0.29–1.16,
p = 0.123).
Conclusions and Discussion
The evaluation of the SEP program from the student’s perspective presents somewhat encouraging
results in some instances and suggests areas for improvement in others. The data show that 40 percent
of learners have a ST or YT club in their school, and learners with an STF SEP-trained teacher in their
school are twice as likely to report an ST or YT club than those without. However, only 22 percent of
learners are members of the ST or YT club, the same proportion that are members of the many other
anti-AIDS clubs existing in schools. Because most anti-AIDS clubs use ST materials, it is hard to
completely consider these schools ―controls.‖ Thus even if ST was not active at a school, it did not
mean that ST print materials were not actively distributed and used in club activities.
The results also show that the STF SEP program is not an urban phenomenon, but reaches even more
rural than urban youth; indeed 56 percent of learners in rural schools attended a school where a
teacher had been trained, compared to 33 percent of their urban counterparts. This means that SEP,
despite logistical difficulties, has penetrated rural Uganda, where the vast majority of the population
lives.
It was anticipated that learners in schools where a teacher had gone through the STF SEP training
would report other related activities, such as inviting special guests to talk to learners about health
matters. The results show that while 70 percent of learners reported this to be the case, 80 percent of
their counterparts in schools without STF SEP-trained teachers reported they had special guests.
Multivariate analysis showed that schools with STF SEP-trained teachers were only 63 percent as
33
likely to invite guests. It may be that once trained, the teachers felt capable and that they did not need
additional help. There is a need for SEP to strengthen this component; teachers who are trained may
need to be more active in bringing additional value to the learners, and publicizing these activities as a
contribution by ST.
It was also anticipated that learners in schools where a teacher had gone through the STF SEP training
would report the presence of a teacher learners could freely ―talk to in private when you have
problems relating to sexuality, growing up, relationships, body changes, etc.‖ This was reported to be
the case by three-quarters of such learners but unexpectedly, by more of their counterparts who did
not have an STF SEP-trained teacher. Multivariate analysis showed that learners with an STF SEP-
trained teacher were only 64 percent as likely as their counterparts to report a teacher they could
confide in.
Another puzzling result was that learners with an STF SEP-trained teacher were only 31 percent as
likely to report that their school offered counseling. This implies that were learners to need this
service, they may not know to seek it at their school. There is need for the SEP program to strengthen
this aspect of its program as well, and place as much emphasis on it as it places on the establishment
of ST and YT clubs.
The results assessing knowledge differentials by presence or absence of an STF SEP-trained teacher
also presented a mixed picture. As mentioned earlier, this could be because there are many school
programs that use ST materials. ST is distributed to all schools, including those with and without STF
SEP-trained teachers. Indeed, 90 percent of learners who belonged to other anti-AIDS clubs different
from ST and YT clubs said that they used ST print materials. This makes it hard to discern between
ST programs and these other programs. This inability to distinguish ST programs from other
interventions, however, is an indicator of ST’s widespread success, since its materials have permeated
widely.
While 22 percent of adolescents had ever had sex, half of these had not done so voluntarily and were
secondary virgins. The data suggest that girls enter their first sexual relationship largely involuntarily,
either by being forced or pressured by the partner. There is clearly a great need to help girls learn how
to deal with coerced sex. Refusal skills and a willingness to stand up for themselves are greatly
needed. On the other hand, it is encouraging to see that 85 percent of the girls had never had sex, their
main motivation being their desire to complete school and to abstain until marriage. These are values
that both boys and girls can be taught to be proud of and to cherish.
It must be viewed with concern that for over 60 percent of adolescents who have reported that they
have had sex, their most recent sexual act was unprotected, including two-thirds of males and half of
females. The main reason given for non-use of protection was ―not knowing about condoms‖ or
―trusted partner.‖ Since all the respondents in this survey have grown up during the AIDS epidemic, it
must be viewed with concern that they have remained uninformed about one of the main means of
HIV prevention available globally. Adolescents who are old enough to have sex are old enough to
acquire HIV; therefore, despite sensitivities about condom promotion among adolescents, the reality
of adolescent sexual experimentation should be recognized and addressing their ignorance about how
to protect themselves should be an important priority.
The data show there was no association between learners who attended a school with an STF SEP-
trained teacher and those who did not with regards to sexual activity or protected sex. However, these
outcomes may be too far down the hierarchy of effects, since sexual behavior is likely to be
moderated by many other factors.
34
Results of the Situation Analysis
Demographic Characteristics of Schools and Respondents
Table 20 presents the demographic characteristics of schools participating in the situational analysis
component of the SEP study.
Table 20 School characteristics

Location
Urban 25 42
Rural 34 58
Level of school
Primary 42 71
Secondary 17 29
District
Arua 14 24
Soroti 15 25
Kamuli 15 25
Kisoro 15 25
Type of district
Intervention 29 48
Comparison 30 52
School ownership
Government 48 81
Private 11 19
Distance to nearest DEO Office
Less than 10 KM 26 44
10–20 KM 9 15
21–30 KM 9 15
31–40 KM 7 12
41–50 KM 7 12
Over 50 KM 1 2
Distance to nearest health facility
Less than 10 KM 20 34
10–20 KM 16 27
21–30 KM 11 19
31–40 KM 3 5
41–50 KM 6 10
Over 50 KM 3 5
A total of 59 schools participated in the situational analysis, of which 29 schools were in the two
intervention districts, Arua and Soroti, and 30 were in the two comparison districts, Kisoro and
Kimuli. Over 50 percent of participating schools were in rural areas. Seventy-one percent were
primary schools, while secondary schools represented 29 percent of the sample. Eighty-one percent of
schools were government-funded schools and 19 percent reported that they receive funding through
private sources.
35
By design, the schools chosen for the situational analysis were evenly distributed throughout the four
districts and in the intervention/comparison areas. All of the districts had 15 schools, except Arua, one
of the intervention districts, which had 14.
Schools taking part in the situational analysis ranged in size. The number of teachers at the 59 schools
ranged from 8 to 70, with a mean of 22. While the range of number of male learners at participating
schools was slightly larger than that of female learners, the numbers were relatively comparable. The
number of male learners ranged from 51 to 1,508, with an average of 425 male learners per school.
The number of female learners ranged from 30 to 1,293, with an average of 393 female learners per
school.
All schools but one reported having a senior female teacher, and 88 percent of schools reported
having a senior male teacher. Ninety percent of schools reported that the school had a teacher
responsible for guidance and counseling. Both intervention and comparison schools were equally
likely to have a teacher responsible for guidance and counseling. Over 80 percent of schools that
reported having a teacher responsible for guidance and counseling reported that they had both a male
and female teacher responsible for guidance and counseling.
Over half of schools were 10 or more kilometers from the nearest DEO? office, and two-thirds
reported that they were located more than 10 kilometers away from the nearest health facility.
Table 21 presents the demographic characteristics of the individual respondents participating in the
situational analysis.
Table 21 Respondent characteristics

Sex
Male 44 75
Female 14 24
Missing data 1 1
Position
Director 3 5
Head Teacher 29 49
Deputy Head Teacher 16 27
Senior Male Teacher 2 3
Senior Female Teacher 6 10
Teacher 3 5
The majority of individuals (76 percent) who agreed to represent their school in the situational
analysis reported their position as either Head Teacher or Deputy Head Teacher. Five percent of
respondents reported their position as Director. Three percent of respondents held the position of
Senior Male Teacher, and 10 percent held the position of Senior Female Teacher. Five percent of
respondents reported their positions as teacher. Twenty-four percent of respondents were female and
76 percent were male.
36
Policies and Procedures
Through the Presidential Initiative on AIDS Strategy for Communication to Youth (PAISCY),
Ugandan schools are mandated to address issues related to adolescent sexual and reproductive health
(ASRH) in a number of ways within the school structure and environment. The Straight Talk School
Environment Program builds on PIASCY and encourages schools to weave issues of ASRH
throughout the school curricula and environment. SEP stresses the importance of engaging teachers in
this process and uses teachers as a medium through which to effect change in the school environment.
Eighty-three percent of the 59 schools reported that they are implementing PIASCY or some type of
ASRH program within their school. Schools in the intervention and comparison districts were equally
as likely to be implementing these programs. When asked which PIASCY activities they were
implementing, most respondents said that their schools were now conducting school assemblies (60
percent), addressing key PIASCY themes (55 percent), and utilizing sign posts/talking compounds (50
percent). Nineteen percent of schools reported that they were addressing issues of girls’ hygiene and
14 percent reported that they were displaying Young Talk and Straight Talk materials. Seven percent
reported that their school was using music, dance, and drama as a way of highlighting ASRH issues.
The school policy environment is one avenue through which a school can address ASRH issues. The
situational analysis attempted to determine if participating schools had the eight distinct policies
and/or procedures in place. Each of these eight policies and/or procedures represented ASRH issues
addressed by both PIASCY and SEP.
37
Table 22 Policies and procedures by intervention/comparison
School has a policy or Respondent could provide Respondent was able to
procedure in place a verbal description of produce a written copy of
the policy or procedure the policy or procedure
Intervention Comparison Intervention Comparison Intervention Comparison
% (n = 29) % (n = 30) % (n = 29) % (n = 30) % (n = 29) % (n = 30)
An action plan to 46 47 100 100 46 79
address PIASCY or
ASRH
A procedure to address 86** 43** 96 77 8 3
the retention/promotion
of girls
A procedure to deal 83 70 100 86 7 4
with defilement (sexual
harassment or sex
between teachers and
learners)
A policy to deal with 76 93 86 86 14 25
teachers who
impregnate learners
A procedure for a 44* 77* 100 100 54 57
learner to anonymously
report problems/
complaints
A protocol to address 72 77 76 74 14 9
the confidentiality of
counseling sessions
A record keeping 80** 33** N/A^ N/A^ 14** 67**
system in place for
guidance and
counseling sessions
A referral system with 86* 50* 83 71 21 14
local health facilities
*p < .05 (Chi-square)

**p < .01 (Chi-square)
^Question was not on the situational analysis
Forty-six percent of schools surveyed had an action plan that addressed PIASCY or ASRH. Schools
in both intervention and comparison districts were equally likely to have an action plan. In the 27
schools that had an action plan in place to address PIASCY or ASRH issues, 100 percent of the
respondents could describe the plan. Researchers were able to observe the written plan in over 60
percent of the 27 schools reporting an action plan.
Over 60 percent of all schools had a procedure in place to address the retention and promotion of girl
learners. Schools in the intervention districts were significantly more likely (p ≤ .001) to have this
procedure in place than schools in the comparison districts (86 percent vs. 43 percent). Respondents
from 24 of the 25 schools in the intervention district were able to describe the procedure to the
researcher, while respondents in only 8 of the 13 schools in comparison districts were able to describe
the procedure. Researchers were able to observe a written copy of the procedure in approximately 13
percent of the schools.
38
Over 76 percent of all schools have a procedure in place for dealing with defilement (sexual
harassment or sex between teachers and learners). The percentage of schools in intervention districts
that reported having this procedure in place was slightly higher (83 percent) than those schools in
comparison districts (70 percent). All 24 of the intervention schools that reported having the policy in
place could describe the procedure, compared to 18 of the 21 comparison schools. Seven of the 24
schools in the intervention districts were able to produce a written description of the procedure for
researchers, while only 4 of 21 comparison schools were able to do the same.
Eighty-five percent of all schools had a policy in place to deal with teachers who make schoolgirls
pregnant. Over 90 percent of schools in comparison districts and 76 percent of schools in intervention
districts reported having a plan in place to deal with these teachers. Over 85 percent (out of a sample
of 50) of respondents who have the policy in place in both intervention and comparison schools were
able to give a verbal description of the policy. In intervention schools only 14 percent of those who
reported having the policy in place were able to produce a written copy of the policy, while 25 percent
of respondents who reported having the policy in place in comparison schools were able to produce a
written report.
Sixty percent of all schools had a procedure in place that allows learners to anonymously submit
questions or report problems. Schools in the comparison groups were significantly more likely than
those schools in the intervention districts (44 percent vs. 77 percent, p ≤ .05) to have a procedure in
place for learners to anonymously submit questions or report problems. In all 36 schools with this
procedure in place, 100 percent of respondents were able to describe the procedure and the researchers
were able to observe a written document detailing the procedure in approximately 50 percent of
schools in both groups.
Seventy-five percent of all schools reported that they had a protocol in place to address the
confidentiality of the guidance and counseling sessions. Seventy-two percent of intervention schools
and 77 percent of comparison schools were able to describe the policy. Of those with a policy, 14
percent of intervention schools and 9 percent of comparison schools were able to produce a written
policy.
Sixty percent of all schools (80 percent of intervention schools and 33 percent of comparison schools)
had a record keeping system in place for counseling sessions. In 67 percent of comparison schools
with a policy in place, the interviewer was able to observe the record keeping system. Of the 20
intervention schools with a record keeping system in place the interviewer was able to observe the
system in only three (14 percent) of the schools. This is a highly significant (p ≤ .01) difference.
Sixty-seven percent of all schools had a referral system in place with local health facilities. Schools in
intervention districts were more likely than schools in comparison districts to have a referral system in
place with local health facilities (86 percent vs. 50 percent). Eighty-three percent of respondents in
intervention schools with a referral system in place were able to verbally describe this procedure,
while 71 percent of respondents in comparison district schools with a referral system in place were
able to do the same. Researchers were able to see a written copy of the referral system procedure in 21
percent of intervention schools with a referral system in place and in 14 percent of comparison
schools with a referral system in place.
In general, intervention sites performed better than comparison sites in four of the areas explored:
procedure/policy on retention/promotion of girls, addressing defilement, a record keeping system for
guidance and counseling, and a referral system with local facilities. Comparison sites performed better
on the remaining four areas examined:action plan to address PIASCY, policy to deal with teachers
who impregnate girl learners, procedure for anonymously reporting problems/complaints, protocol to
39
address the confidentiality of counseling session. This suggests that the SEP program is strong in
strengthening about half the policies/procedure areas examined.
Incorporating ASRH into the School Environment
As part of the SEP and PIASCY schools have been encouraged to integrate ASRH into the school
environment. Three ways of doing this are through individual guidance and counseling sessions with
learners, health talks in which the school invites individuals from the community to carry out talks
specific to ASRH issues, and incorporating ASRH issues into routine school assemblies.
Guidance and counseling
When asked if the school provided guidance and counseling sessions for learners, almost all (93
percent) schools reported that they did. Guidance and counseling may be conducted individually or
with a small group of learners and focus on a range of personal topics. Fifty-three (53) percent of
schools that provided guidance and counseling reported that they routinely conducted sessions, while
26 percent said that they conduct the service on an as needed basis. Respondents reported that
guidance and counseling sessions took place in a variety of locations. In some schools sessions were
conducted in multiple locations. Over 50 percent of schools reported that their school conducted these
sessions in public spaces around the school compound, while 40 percent of schools reported that
sessions were conducted in the classrooms. Of the schools that reported that guidance and counseling
takes place, approximately a third reported that it occurred in a private room.
Across schools a range of individuals are tasked with conducting the guidance and counseling
sessions (see Figure 4). Schools often have multiple individuals conduct guidance and counseling
sessions. Of the 55 schools that provided guidance and counseling to their learners, the most common
individuals who conducted sessions were female senior teachers (76 percent), male senior teachers (51
percent), individual teachers (38 percent), and head teachers (36 percent).
Figure 4 Individuals tasked with conducting guidance and counseling sessions^

100
90
80
70
60
Percent
50
40
30
20
10
0
Female Male senior Individual Head teacher Teacher Deputy head Master Parents
senior teacher teachers responsible teacher teacher
teacher for guidance
and
counseling
^Multiple response variables
40
Health talks
Health talks are an important component of PIASCY and SEP. Health talks differ from guidance and
counseling sessions and assemblies. They are generally conducted amongst a group of learners and
focus specifically on health-related topics. SEP and PIASY encourage schools to invite outside
individuals from the local community to come and lead discussions about relevant ASRH issues, and
76 percent of all schools reported that they do this. Intervention and comparison schools were equally
likely to invite individuals from the community to carry out health talks.
Schools reported that they solicited a wide range of individuals to visit the school to conduct health
talks, and schools often invited multiple individuals to facilitate these talks (see Figure 5). Eighty-
three percent of the 45 schools conducting health talks reported that health workers were invited to
lead health talks at their school; 35 percent invited local NGO staff; 15 percent invited parents; 9
percent reported that teachers conducted the health talks; 7 percent invited police; 7 percent invited
local community leaders and 4 percent invited local religious leaders.
Figure 5 Individuals conducting health talks at schools^

100
90
80
70
Percent
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Health Local NGO Parents Teachers Police Local Local
workers staff community religious
leaders leaders
Assemblies
Assemblies play an important role in the school environment. Assemblies are a chance for learners,
teachers and administrators to gather and discuss pertinent issues. Generally, assemblies are
conducted in larger groups on a routine basis. However, the way in which an assembly is conducted
can vary between schools. The overwhelming majority (93 percent) of all schools in this sample
reported that assemblies at their schools were conducted with the entire student body. Seventy percent
reported that assemblies were held weekly at their school and 21 percent reported that assemblies
were conducted daily.
41
Figure 6 Individuals conducting assemblies at schools^
100
90
80
70
60
Percent
50
40
30
20
10
0
Head Female Male senior Specific All teachers Deputy head Teacher on Student Teacher
Teacher senior teacher individual teacher duty leaders responsible
teacher teachers for guidance
and
counseling
Figure 6 represents the individuals responsible for conducting assemblies in the schools. Of the 59
surveyed schools, the majority (64 percent), reported that the Head Teacher conducted assemblies,
while 47 percent and 36 percent reported that the Female Senior Teacher and the Male Senior Teacher
respectively conducted them.
SEP and PIASCY encourage schools to include ASRH issues as discussion topics during school
assemblies. When asked if their school discussed matters related to ASRH during assemblies, over 90
percent of schools (53 schools) responded in the affirmative. Of the 53 schools reporting that they
incorporated ASRH issues into their assemblies, abstinence was the ASRH topic most discussed (54
percent), followed by HIV transmission (50 percent), pregnancy (48 percent), and body changes for
boys and girls (44 percent). ASRH issues vary widely; Figure 7 demonstrates the range of topics
covered by the participating schools.
42
Figure 7 ASRH Topics discussed during assemblies^

Abstinence
HIV transmission
Pregnancy
Body changes for boys and girls
Staying in school
HIV testing
Personal Safety
STD's
Topics
Life Skills
Managing menstruation
Care for people living with HIV/AIDS
Child rights
Early marriage
Relationships
Gender issues
Defilement
Culture and HIV
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Percent
Straight Talk Presence
Straight Talk print materials
Schools were asked if they received ST print materials; 92 percent, or 54 of the 59 schools sampled,
reported that their school had received ST print materials. Ninety percent of the 29 schools in the
intervention districts and 93 percent of 30 schools in the comparison districts reported that they had
received ST print materials. Two schools in the intervention districts reported that they were no longer
receiving ST print materials.
Straight Talk produces a number of different print materials, and often multiple publications are sent
to schools. Of schools currently receiving print materials, 78 percent reported that they receive Young
Talk, 46 percent receive Farm Talk, 44 percent receive Tree Talk, 43 percent receive Teacher Talk, 33
percent receive Straight Talk, and 9 percent receive Kids Time. (Note that primary schools do not
receive Straight Talk and secondary schools do not receive Young, Farm, or Teacher Talk.) Table 23
represents the percentage of schools receiving ST print materials by intervention and comparison
district.
43
Table 23 Straight Talk print materials received by schools by intervention/comparison
Type of Straight Talk print material Intervention Comparison
schools schools
(n = 24) (n = 28)
% %
Young Talk 81 75
Farm Talk* 23 68
Tree Talk* 19 68
Teacher Talk* 27 57
Straight Talk 35 32
Kids Time 4 14
*p < .05 (Chi-square)
When asked how often their schools received the above STF print materials, of the 52 schools who
reported that they currently receive them, 60 percent responded that they received the materials once a
month, 19 percent responded that they received the materials every other month, 17 percent reported
that they received the materials once a term, and 4 percent responded that their school used to, but no
longer, receiveST print materials.
Eighty-eight percent of respondents receiving ST print materials were able to report on the first
individual to receive the ST print materials. The overwhelming majority (77 percent) of schools
receiving print materials reported that the Head Teacher was the first person to receive the materials,
while only 7 percent of schools reported that the Deputy Head Teacher was the first individual to
receive the materials. Three schools reported that they had teachers who had been designated as the
―teacher in charge of Straight Talk materials,‖ and at these three schools it was this teacher who was
the first to receive ST print materials.
ST print materials are produced for the benefit of young people. Materials are sent to schools for the
express purpose of benefiting learners, either directly or indirectly. In order for these materials to
benefit the learners they must be accessible by learners in a manner that encourages reading and
fosters critical thinking around the issues presented in the material. Schools were asked to list the
different ways in which they utilized ST print materials to ensure that they benefitted the pupils. Of
the 52 schools that were currently receiving ST print materials, 62 percent reported that they
distributed ST print materials to classes, 30 percent reported that newspapers were given out to
individual learners, 25 percent kept print materials in the library, 19 percent used them for discussion
topics during assemblies, 11 percent displayed the ST materials on a public notice board; 9 percent
pinned materials to the wall in individual class rooms, and 9 percent gave them to individual learners
for use for debates and information sharing. Table 24 gives the percentages of utilization methods by
intervention and comparison sites.
44
Table 24 Methods of utilization for Straight Talk print material by

intervention/comparison
Utilization of ST print materials Intervention Comparison
schools schools
(n = 24) (n = 28)
% %
ST materials are kept in a library for pupils to read 20 28
ST materials are displayed on a general notice board 8 14
ST materials are distributed to classes 56 68
ST materials are given out to individual learners 28 32
ST materials are pinned on the wall in classrooms 4 14
ST materials are used for discussion during assemblies 12 25
ST materials are used by pupils as an information source for debates 12 7
Note: Multiple responses allowed
Of the 52 schools that are currently receiving the materials, 83 percent reported that they have taken
action as a result of ST print materials. More intervention schools (96 percent) than comparison
schools (70 percent) that receive print materials reported that their school had taken an action as a
result of the materials (p < .05).
Forty three schools (23 intervention and 20 comparison) were asked which actions they had taken as
a result of ST print materials (see Table 25). Twenty-six percent reported that they had started
counseling and guidance sessions in the school and that they had started peer education and
counseling through Straight Talk/Young Talk clubs in the school, 19 percent reported that they had
begun conducting health talks as a result of ST materials, 16 percent reported that they had begun
sharing information among teachers, 14 percent had started a talking compound, 14 percent had
encouraged the learners to write in to the Straight Talk Foundation, and 9 percent had started income-
generating activities at the school.
Three schools had opened school gardens as a result of ST print materials. Two schools reported that
as a result of ST print materials, they had invited parents/respectable elders to come and talk to
learners. Two schools reported that they had made referrals to STF for treatment. Two schools
reported that they had begun planting trees as a result of ST print materials. One school reported
taking the following actions: referrals to health facilities, providing information on condoms, and
organizing educational visits to neighboring schools.
45
Table 25 Actions taken as a result of ST print materials^
Intervention Comparison
schools schools
(n = 23) (n = 20)
% %
Started counseling and guidance sessions in the school 13 40
Started peer education and counseling through Straight Talk/ 30 20
Young Talk clubs in the school
Conducted health talks 17 20
Shared the information with other teachers 13 20
Established a talking compound at school 17 10
Encouraged learners to write to STF 21 5
Started income-generating activities (e.g., growing crops, trees, etc.) 8 10
Opened a school garden 0 15
Invited a parent/respectable elder to talk to the learners 4 5
Provided information/referrals for STI treatment 4 5
Planted trees 9 0
Made referrals to health facilities 0 5
Provided information/referrals for condoms 0 5
Organized educational visits in neighboring schools 4 0
When asked how useful ST print materials had been for their school, only 14 percent of the 54
respondents who had received print materials in the past or who were currently receiving print
materials responded with ―somewhat useful,‖ while the vast majority (85 percent) reported that ST
print materials had been ―very useful.‖ One hundred percent of the 54 schools that had received ST
print materials in the past or who were currently receiving the materials reported that their learners
were ―very interested‖ in ST print materials.
Straight Talk/Young Talk Clubs
Just as the ST print materials are designed and targeted to specific age groups, so are the Straight Talk
and Young Talk clubs. It is expected that secondary schools would have Straight Talk clubs, while
primary schools would have Young Talk clubs. Forty-four percent of the 59 sampled schools reported
that they had ST or YT clubs, which included 18 schools in the intervention districts and 7 schools in
the comparison districts (67 percent vs. 23 percent, p < .001). The most common way reported for
schools to support the ST and YT clubs were to build meeting times into the school timetable (56
percent), followed by providing a room or space for the club to meet (40 percent).
ST and YT clubs generally conduct a number of different activities. Respondents were asked to list all
of the activities that the YT or ST clubs at their school engage in. The four primary activities that
these clubs engaged in were organizing drama or skits depicting the issues affecting adolescents in the
school or community (64 percent), holding group discussions about ASRH within the club (48
percent), holding discussions about ASRH with learners outside the club (32 percent), and holding
debates on topics raised in the latest ST or YT newspaper or on the latest radio show (28 percent).
46
School Support for ASRH Training
Of the 59 schools surveyed, 86 percent reported that the school did provide support to teachers in
order to encourage them to attend training on issues such as ASRH. There was a significant (p < .05)
difference between intervention and comparison schools, with 96 percent of intervention schools
providing support to teachers in order to encourage them to attend trainings on ASRH issues, as
opposed to the 77 percent of comparison schools that do the same.
Schools were asked to list the ways in which they provided support to teachers in order to encourage
them to attend training (see Figure 8).
Figure 8 School support for teachers to attend trainings^

100
90
80
70
Percent
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Paying for Allowing teachers Informing Providing Allowing teachers
transport to time off from teachers of teachers with a to incorporate
trainings school to attend training forum to report new ideas into the
trainings opportunities back lessons classroom setting
learned at training
The most common method of support and encouragement of teachers by schools was for the school to
pay for teacher’s transportation to training (58 percent). Following transport costs, the next most
common way was to allow teachers to take time off to attend training (56 percent). Thirty percent of
schools informed the teachers of potential training opportunities and 24 percent provided the teachers
with a forum to report back what they had learned after attending training. Only 10 percent reported
that they allowed teachers to incorporate new ideas from training into the classroom.
Straight Talk teacher trainings
Forty-two percent of the 59 respondents reported that teachers from their school had attended Straight
Talk teacher trainings. Of the 29 schools in the intervention districts, 69 percent reported that teachers
had attended STF SEP trainings, and 14 percent were not sure if teachers from their school had
attended STF SEP training. Of the 30 comparison schools, 17 percent reported that teachers from their
school had attended Straight Talk trainings. The mean number of teachers attending training per
school was two, with the number of individuals from each school ranging from 1 to 10.
Of the 25 schools reporting that teachers had attended STF SEP trainings, 44 percent reported that
they attended the training in 2004, 16 percent attended training in 2003, 12 percent in 2002, 12
47
percent in 2001, 8 percent in 2005, and 4 percent in 2000. One respondent could not recall in which
year the teachers from the school attended the training.
Of the respondents who reported that teachers from their schools had attended Straight Talk training,
92 percent reported that their school took an action as a direct result of the training.
Figure 9 Actions taken as a result of Straight Talk trainings^
Started peer education and counseling

through ST/YT clubs
Designated an office/individual responsible
for ST/YT activities
Started counseling and guidance sessions in
school
Established a talking compound

Topics
Conducted health talks
Organised educational visits to neighboring

schools
Established a supply of sanitary
pads/materials for girls
Made referrals for students
Report back by teachers to other teachers
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Percent
Figure 9 highlights actions taken by the schools following teachers’ attendance at STF SEP training.
The most commonly reported action (52 percent) was the institution of peer education and counseling
activities via ST/YT clubs; the second most reported activities (17 percent for both activities) was the
designation of an office/individual responsible for ST or YT activities and the institution of general
counseling and guidance sessions in the school.
Researcher Observations About the School Environment
STF SEP training and ST print materials provide teachers and school administrators with information
about how to improve the physical environment of the school. These improvements contribute to both
the mental health and physical health/hygiene of the learners. Following the administration of the 59
48
situational analyses, researchers were tasked with conducting a series of observations of the school
environment. Observations were conducted in the 29 intervention schools and 30 comparison schools.
In 53 percent of the schools the researchers observed a learning environment that he/she considered to
be active, bright, and engaging, which included 62 percent of intervention schools compared to 43
percent of comparison schools.
In 22 percent of all schools, researchers were able to observe copies of YT or ST print materials
displayed in a central area in view of all learners. Researchers observed copies of YT or ST materials
being prominently displayed in more comparison schools than intervention schools (27 percent vs. 17
percent).
Researchers were able to observe private counseling rooms in 31 percent of all schools. Researchers at
schools in the intervention districts were significantly more likely (p < .05) to observe private
counseling rooms than researchers at comparison schools (48 percent vs. 13 percent).
Researchers were able to observe private areas for sick children/sick bays in 19 percent of all schools.
Researchers at schools in the intervention districts were significantly more likely (p < .05) to observe
private areas for sick children/sick bays than researchers at comparison schools (32 percent vs. 7
percent).
In 98 percent of the schools researchers were able to observe latrine stances, and 98 percent of schools
had separate toilets for boys and girls. Thirty eight schools, or 66 percent, had hand-washing facilities
located near the toilets. Researchers were able to observe hand-washing facilities in close proximity to
the toilets in more intervention schools than comparison schools (72 percent vs. 59 percent). Of the 38
schools with hand washing facilities, 92 percent had water available and 37 percent had soap
available.
In 39 percent of all 59 schools, researchers were able to observe that the school had sanitary pads or
the materials with which to make sanitary pads available for girl learners. Researchers in the
intervention schools were significantly (p < .05) more likely to observe sanitary pads or materials than
were those in the comparison schools (66 percent vs. 13 percent).
Conclusions and Discussion
The situational analysis assessed the impact of Straight Talk’s SEP interventions and activities on the
school environment. It explored the extent to which a school’s physical environment varied between
schools where teachers had received intense STF SEP training (intervention schools) and those
schools where teachers had received less intensive STF SEP training (comparison schools), in an
effort to determine if intervention schools can be considered more adolescent friendly.
The reader is alerted to two study limitations:
1) Like the teacher and student evaluations presented earlier, the Situation Analysis demonstrates that
there are really no ―control‖ sites in this study, because most control sites were either implementing
some ASRH intervention or were likely to be using ST materials (over 90 percent of all the schools in
this study receive ST materials). The widespread implementation of PIASCY, and the fact that
PIASCY is strongly linked to the STF SEP program and uses ST materials, makes it even more
difficult to isolate ST activities.
49
Almost all schools conduct daily or weekly assemblies where ASRH is incorporated, and almost all
schools have a guidance and counseling teacher.
2) Because of the small sample of schools in the study, the analysis was limited to cross-tabulations
and no multivariate analysis was conducted. The reader is asked to keep this in mind when reviewing
the findings.
That said, the analyses point to several areas where intervention schools performed better than
comparison schools. While over 90 percent of all schools reported that they received print materials,
intervention schools were more likely to have taken an action as a result of these materials. Thus they
were more active in utilizing the materials. Intervention schools were also more likely to report
having ST or YT clubs, again an important step in adding value to the ST materials. Intervention
schools were also more likely to provide support to teachers in order to encourage them to attend
training on issues such as ASRH. They were more likely to have sick bays and almost three times as
likely to have sanitary pads as comparison schools. Researchers were more likely to report a ―lively‖
talking compound in intervention schools than in comparison schools.
However, these positive findings were not always the case with regards to PIASCY-mandated
policies. For example, in the assessment of the presence of the eight policies and procedures for
various ASRH-related subjects, intervention sites performed better in four areas, but comparison sites
performed better in the other four. This may imply the intervention and comparison areas are
somewhat at par. STF may be able to add value to its activities, for example by ensuring that all the
policy areas expected are being implemented. In addition, STF may be able to ensure that materials
are more readily availed to learners. The assessment found that researchers were able to observe YT
or ST materials displayed in a central area in 22 percent of the schools, but these were more likely to
be displayed in comparison schools (27 percent) than intervention schools (17 percent). This may be
an aspect STF could address in future programming.
Researchers observed a private counseling room in 48 percent of the intervention schools. While
constructing a new room may be challenging to undertake, STF could help the remaining 52 percent
of intervention schools assign a consistent and known area where learners could seek counseling.
In general, the data supports the idea that surveyed schools are making an effort to implement these
policies. There are many areas that could be improved upon, but on the whole, the research documents
many other areas that are being successfully implemented.
50

Straight Talk Campaign in Uganda: Evaluation of The School Environment Program

Hochgeladen von

Dokumentinformationen

Originaltitel

Copyright

Verfügbare Formate

Dieses Dokument teilen

Dokument teilen oder einbetten

Freigabeoptionen

Stufen Sie dieses Dokument als nützlich ein?

Sind diese Inhalte unangemessen?

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

Straight Talk Campaign in Uganda: Evaluation of The School Environment Program

Hochgeladen von

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

Straight Talk Campaign in Uganda:

Karusa Kiragu1, Tobey Nelson2, Cathy Watson3,

Published in September 2007.

Definitions and Abbreviations

Results of the Teachers Survey 6

Results of the Learners Survey 22

Results of the Situation Analysis 35

Conclusions and discussion 49

ABC Abstinence, Be faithful, Use condoms

Impact of SEP on Teachers

Impact of SEP on Students

Situation Analysis of Schools

Introduction and Background

Research Questions and Objectives

Organization of the Report

Demographic Characteristics of Respondents

Table 1 Characteristics of teachers in participating schools

Exposure to Straight Talk Foundation’s School Environment Program

Table 2 Percent distribution of teachers by awareness of STF trainings for teachers

Exposure to and Use of ST Print Materials

Table 3 Percent distribution of respondents by awareness of ST trainings for

^All calculations based on the total sample (n = 560)

Straight Talk and Young Talk

*Differences statistically significant (p ≤ 0.05)

Problems Teachers Face Teaching Pupils Reproductive Health

Table 5 Percent with correct knowledge of selected reproductive health question by

If a pregnant women has HIV, chances of 81.1 80.0 80.1

It is easier for a man to infect a woman than a 39.1 41.4 41.1

If a girl washes her genitalia immediately after 98.2 95.9 96.1

If a man washes his penis immediately after 98.2 98.0 98.0

It is possible for one of the partners in a 70.4 72.9 72.7

It is possible for some women to have STIs 87.7 86.9 87.0

*Differences by training status significant (p ≤ 0.05)

Attitudes Toward Gender

Table 7 Percent distribution of attitudes toward gender and attitudes toward

Attitudes toward condoms and family planning

^Excludes respondents who said ―Don’t know‖

Attitudes Toward Condoms and Family Planning

*Differences by training status significant (p ≤ 0.05)

Table 9 Odds of reporting feeling “very comfortable” discussing matters relating to

Note: n = 559 observations

*Differences by training status statistically significant (p = 0.04)

The opinions and behavior of teachers and learners

Table 11 Percent distribution of teachers by opinions about alcohol and sexual

*Differences statistically significant (p ≤ 0.05)

Conclusions and Recommendations

Demographic Characteristics of Respondents

Table 12 Characteristics of learners in participating schools

Table 13 Living arrangements and educational aspirations

^Siblings, uncles, aunts, grandparents

Exposure to STF SEP Activities

Access to counseling and support

^Among all respondents (n = 921)

Exposure to ST mass media materials

^Among all respondents (n = 921)

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behavior by ST Exposure

Knowledge and attitudes by STF SEP exposure

Table 17 Percent distribution of knowledge and attitudes of learners

Attitudes toward gender (agree/disagree/not sure)

*Differences between trained and untrained teachers significant at p ≤ 0.05

Sexual behavior by STF SEP exposure

Table 18 Sexual activity and condom use

*Differences significant at p ≤ 0.05