Online Reporter
Bheki Ndlovu
CONFIDENTIALITY is the single most decisive factor determining whether students agree to HIV counselling and testing (HCT) on campus. Without trust that results will remain private, fear and stigma quickly outweigh the benefits of knowing one’s status.
This was one of the strongest findings in a study by Yeboah Adelaide Forkuo, an undergraduate from Presbyterian University College, Ghana, whose insights offer practical lessons for Zimbabwean universities and polytechnics.
Forkuo’s project, titled “Perspective and Attitude Towards HIV Counselling and Testing Among the Youth at Agogo State College,” set out to understand how young people engage with HCT services.
Using a quantitative approach, she distributed semi-structured questionnaires to 100 students out of a target population of 134. The findings revealed that students were well informed about HIV testing. Awareness was not the problem. The real barriers were fear, stigma, and a lack of trust in the confidentiality of the process.
“Young people are not ignorant,” Forkuo explained. “Most respondents understood why HIV testing matters. The real barriers were trust, stigma, and how safe the process feels.”
That theme of trust ran through every part of the study. Students expressed anxiety that testing could expose them to judgement from peers or gossip if results were not kept confidential. As Forkuo stressed: “If confidentiality feels shaky, everything else collapses. Students need to know their status will be protected—full stop.”
Under the supervision of Mr. Suglo Joseph and with departmental oversight from Mr. Prince Osei Akumiah, Forkuo translated her findings into practical recommendations. She called for measures that make confidentiality visible—private waiting areas, neutral signage that does not single out HIV testing, and discreet result delivery methods. She also highlighted the need to normalise testing through peer-led and media-driven campaigns, flexible clinic hours, and counsellors trained to engage with clarity and warmth. “Make HCT ordinary, convenient and respectful,” she advised. “That’s how you turn knowledge into action.”
These lessons have strong relevance for Zimbabwe. The country has made significant progress in HIV prevention and treatment, but uptake of testing among young people remains uneven. Forkuo’s work points to the need for services designed with the anxious student in mind, the one who wants to do the right thing but fears judgement, exposure, or inconvenience.
Practical changes can begin immediately. Confidentiality should not just be promised but demonstrated. In Forkuo’s words: “It’s the difference between ‘we promise’ and ‘we prove.’ And when that proof is evident when a student can watch the privacy rules working in real time, the fear curve bends.”
She also underlined the importance of peer engagement. “Students listen to students,” Forkuo noted. For Zimbabwe, this could mean training ambassadors from student clubs, residences, and sports teams to share plain-language information on what HCT involves. Counsellors, meanwhile, could provide short introductions during lectures or orientation, ensuring clarity and reassurance.
Concerns about confidentiality are not addressed by clinic design alone. Governance and transparency are equally vital. Forkuo proposed that institutions publish an HCT Charter spelling out how results are handled, how complaints can be raised, and the consequences of breaches. “Students worried that a careless word could travel fast,” she observed. A public charter would act as a social contract, turning confidentiality into mandatory practice, not optional culture.
One of her more innovative suggestions was the introduction of transparent reporting. She recommended that clinics publish anonymised dashboards showing the number of students tested, wait times, satisfaction scores, and rates of linkage to care. “Students rarely see concrete feedback about services they are asked to trust,” she said. Visibility of performance would build confidence and accountability.
Training also emerged as a central theme. Forkuo noted that “one careless interaction can poison trust for an entire cohort.” For Zimbabwe, this means regular staff refreshers on micro-privacy such as voice levels, body positioning, and screen handling combined with trauma-informed counselling and recognition for staff who consistently uphold standards.
Ultimately, Forkuo’s findings highlight the importance of what might be considered “soft” factors privacy, respect, clarity of communication in shaping hard outcomes such as testing uptake and early treatment. As she explained: “If students feel seen and safe, they will test. And when they test, they can protect themselves and each other.”
While the study acknowledged its limitations, including the use of convenience sampling in one setting, it also laid out a research agenda for the future. Forkuo recommended examining the link between HCT uptake and HIV prevalence across student populations to better inform scaling strategies.
The implications for Zimbabwe are clear. Privacy must be visible. Testing should be routine, convenient, and normalised. Peers should be empowered as first messengers, and counsellors trained to reinforce trust. Transparent systems and accountability measures should underpin the service. None of these changes require massive new funding, only intentional design and consistent follow-through.
As Forkuo demonstrated, “students are not problems to be solved; they are partners to be trusted.” By applying these lessons, Zimbabwean campuses can make HIV testing ordinary, safe, and routine,ensuring young people are empowered to know their status and protect their futures.
