Influence of HIV/AIDS on organization climate and operational effectiveness in secondary schoolsin Uganda: A study of Kampala District.

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine the influence of the HIV/AIDS epidemic on the organization climate and operational effectiveness in secondary schools in Uganda. Thus, the researcher examined whether HIV/AIDS influenced the organization climate (knowledge, attitudes and practices of staff). In addition, the researcher examined whether the organization climate (knowledge, attitudes and practices of staff) influenced the operational effectiveness (staff attrition and recruitment, institutional functioning and budgeting). The researcher examined whether HIV/AIDS influenced the operational effectiveness (staff attrition and recruitment, institutional functioning and budgeting).

To achieve the above mentioned, the researcher adopted an association research design. The study was carried out in secondary schools within Kampala. The study targeted a sample of 160 respondents but managed to get 133 respondents. Stratified sampling was used to select boys only, girls only and mixed schools. Systematic random sampling was also used to select staff members. Purposive sampling was used to select education officials. Analysis involved calculating frequencies and percentages, accompanied with a chi-square test.

Findings indicated that the effect of HIV/AIDS on the organization climate was that most staff members resorted to behaviors that enabled them to avoid contracting HIV/AIDS. However, despite the HIV/AIDS, there were still some members of the staff engaged in HIV/AIDS risk behavior. The study findings further revealed that there was poor quality/inadequate knowledge by staff about the HIV/AIDS, negative attitude of staff members towards HIV/AIDS and inappropriate behavior practices have increased staff attrition, poor school functioning, and poor school budgeting. In addition, the findings revealed that HIV/AIDS epidemic has compromised secondary education, affected staffs’ savings, reduced teachers' productivity, increased death rates among teachers and administrators.

It was concluded that HIV/AIDS influences teachers knowledge, attitudes and practices and that this tern influences the operational effectiveness of schools in terms of staff attrition, staff recruitments, budgeting and school functioning.

It was recommended that there is need for HIV/AIDS interventions to help teachers and the school administration to improve the organization. This will lead to operational effectiveness of the schools.