Abstract

Malawi is faced with the social problems of teenage pregnancy; HIV/AIDS, child abuse just to mention but a few. In order to address these problems, the government implemented a curriculum intervention strategy namely; combining Sexual and Reproductive Health in Life skills to learners in primary schools. SRH issues are important because they are culturally sensitive as they tackle issues which have for a long time been considered secret and meant for adults in society. The aim of the study was to explore the views of Life skills teachers towards the teaching of SRH issues in primary schools. The research was conducted in two primary schools in Lilongwe Urban. The study was guided by the following questions: The views of Life skills teachers towards the teaching of SRH issues, how SRH is taught, and challenges which teachers encounter when teaching SRH issues. The study used qualitative design and employed phenomenology as a method. Data for the study was generated using lesson observations, semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. The sample for the study consisted of standard three, four, six and seven Life skills teachers and the sample was selected using purposive sampling technique. The major findings of this study indicated that teachers are supportive of SRH issues as a means of assisting learners with making informed choices. However, some teachers are not comfortable to teach the content in junior section since the learners are very young for SRH issues. It could be recommended that Life skills teachers need support from the MoEST, the community and the school in order to teach SRH issues effectively.

More details

School	: School of Education
Issued Date	: 2016

Download full document