CURRICULUM
FOR FLE IN SCHOOLS |
|
There is a need
for introducing the Family Life Education Curriculum in school because
it requires our children with life skills and makes them aware of
various aspects of interpersonal relationship and sex and sexuality
which helps them to reduce risk taking behaviour. |
| The programme should be
instituted gradually in all school keeping in mind the following
factors. |
HOURS
PER ACADEMIC YEAR |
|
At least 6-10
hours, per academic year, are to be devoted to topics suggested. As
some portions eg, personal bygine (EVS), Physical changes of
adolescence (Biology) are already taught in the regular school
syllabus, the suggested 6-10 hours should be utilised for topics
unique for family life Education. |
|
Each topic has
been classified according to appropriate age/ class/level of school
and the decision on portions to emphasise and details are left to be
teachers/school depending on the sciocultural background, skill of the
teacher and the knowledge level of the students. |
SELECTION
OF TEACHERS / TEACHER'S TRAINING. |
|
It is important
to remember that not all teachers may be comfortable handling all of
the topics. A teacher who is selected to take a particular topic in a
particular class must be |
 |
comfortable with the
issues involved |
|
friendly |
|
trustworthy |
|
flexible |
|
non-judgemental |
|
accessible to students
|
|
respected by parents and
other staff |
|
willing to maintain
confidentiality, if needed. |
|
|
Teachers
willing to take up the not-so-easy job of family life education also
need training inputs themselves. This is important, as during training
the staff will be able to clarify issues , internalise the contents of
the curriculum and feel more confident of actually doing what they
have read.
|
|
The workshops
on sexual abuse, some portions of physical changes of adolescence and
sex and sexuality from class 9 upwards can be small or large ones. The
workshop contents differ for the two groups. |
| The person doing the workshop
must have been an observer/participant at least one other workshop. |
|
Teachers
training is a MUST for conducting sessions on sex abuse, sex and
sexuality, AIDS awareness life, skills and parenting. |
|
Training
centres need to be identified for these trainers training programmes.
The committee suggests the following centres in South India for this
purpose. |
| |
|
Over the years
multiple centres need to be made functional all over the country for
training teachers to impart Family life Education in schools. The
training will ensure that teachers have the microskills to transact
the delicate issues involved with comfort and conviction and
understand the logistics of its need to focus on the method of
teaching than on elaboration of the content of FLE. |
PARENT
NOTIFICATION AND PERMISSION : |
|
Informed
consent is a critical ethical issue in implementation of the Family
life education and AIDS awareness programmes especially before topics
such as life skills, parenting, sex and sexuality, sex abuse and AIDS
are addressed. The steps suggested are : |
|
Announcement
: Parents of children in the upper primary need to be informed one
semester prior to implementation using a standard form. The
announcement should express the purpose of teaching these topics
in school i.e . to teach children the necessary social skills to
confront various situations in life. |
|
Detailing
the curriculum : Either a synopsis is sent to each parent or they
are informed that they could view the full curriculum and discuss
its pros and cons with the teachers involved at a given time.
|
|
A
presentation should be made to students emphasizing the importance
of parent notification and permission. Could use debate /role play
to highlight the need. |
|
Parents are adviced to
periodically discuss the content with their children and the
teachers. |
|
CONTENTS
OF THE COURSE |
Pre-primary
school (LKG & UKG) |
| |
Primary
school (1st - 4th standard) |
|
E.V.S. - need to sterilise
needles and syringes to avoid infection. |
|
Knowledge of certain
rights and responsibilities as children. |
|
Knowledge of risky
situations/ Beware of strangers. |
|
Bullying - what amounts to
bullying, what to do, when to say no, how to say no and whom to
approach. |
|
Body parts and personal
hygine. |
|
Upper
Primary school (5th to 7th) |
| |
Secondary
education (8th to 10th standard) |
|
Self esteem, positive
thinking, handling peer pressure, leisure time activites. |
|
Creating healthy
relationship between boys and girls/respect for opposite sex. |
|
Parenting |
|
Physical changes of
adolesscence. |
|
Sex and sexuality. |
|
Sex abuse - how to
recoginise, how to say no, whom to approach. |
|
Substance abuse -smoking,
alcoholism, drugs, etc. |
|
AIDS and STD - what are
they? modes of transmission, how it is not transmitted. |
|
Care and understanding for
people with AIDS. |
|
Higher
Secondary education (11th & 12th) |
|
Topics 4 to 9 in slighly
more detail than in secondary school. |
|
Knowledge of unsage sexual
behaviours and practices and their consequences. |
|
Address potential risk
behaviour /situations that children may encounter to minimise
accident prone nature. |
|
Address the issue of
masturbation |
|
Parenting. |
|
|
While
discussing AIDS and sex abuse make it a point to draw attention to
traditional India/Kerala values and the DON' T HURT SOMEBODY - DON'T
HURT YOURSELF' message. Condoms could mentioned but not highlighted.
|
ACKNOWLEDGMENT |
Curriculum for Family
Life Education and Aids awareness in Schools. |
| Manual Prepared by Indian
Academy of Pediatrics, Cochin Branch |
| Project of 35th National
Conference of I.A.P.-Pedicon 98, Kochi. |
