Abstract
Despite a number of school-based HIV/AIDS interventions, the infection rate among
adolescent girls continues to rise. This study focuses on understanding the leadership
and management strategies used by high school principals in the prevention of HIV in
schools, and it offers strategies that can be effectively implemented to improve
adolescent girls' HIV intervention programs in South African schools. The study was
carried out in Gauteng province's high HIV burden districts, namely City
Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni, and City of Tshwane. This study's eligibility criteria
required principals to have managed adolescent girls' HIV programs for at least one
year. Principals who had managed HIV programs for adolescent girls for less than a
year were not eligible. The reason for their exclusion was that they may not have
gained enough experience working with HIV prevention programs for adolescent girls.
Participants were chosen using non-probability, convenient sampling. The qualitative
research approach method was used, allowing the researcher to investigate the
problem in realistic settings via focus group discussions and interviews. 15 high school
principals were purposefully chosen, ten were interviewed, and the focus discussion
group consisted of five high school principals. Informed consent and confidentiality
were observed as ethical considerations. The study found that the principals' lack of
HIV/AIDS expertise, as well as their lack of leadership, management, and program
implementation skills, hampered the effective implementation of the programs. The
proposed strategies include, but are not limited to, promoting change or revision of
outdated HIV/AIDS school policies and liability laws, promoting adaptability, improved
and consistent leadership engagement, stakeholder interrelationship development,
improved monitoring and evaluation systems, and the adoption of transformational
leadership. The study recommends that training courses and competencies be
strengthened and linked to HIV/AIDS intervention leadership, management, and
implementation.
Key terms: adolescent girls, HIV/AIDS intervention, implementation, strategies,
transformational leadership.