Racheal Njenga and Khamati Shilabukha 2

Secondary School Life Skills Education and Students’ Sexual Reproductive Health in Kenya: Case Study of Ruiru Sub-County RachealNjenga 1 and Dennis Khamati Shihilabhukha 2 Racheal Njenga and Khamati Shilabukha Abstract In 2018, Kenya introduced the LSE programme as a compulsory component of the basic education to fill the adolescents’ sexual and reproductive knowledge gap. The aim of this study is to evaluate the content and pedagogy of SRH as a component of the LSE policy and to gather students’ experience with this programme. The study collected qualitative data from 60 students who completed secondary school in 2017 and from 15 key informants. This data complemented the desk review of the LSE curriculum. Findings show that this curriculum was designed to promote psycho-social competences. The pedagogical approach of LSE curriculum was found to lack a standard participatory approach as prescribed by the MoEST. The students who have gone through LSE had mixed views on how the programme has impacted their sexual lives. The study concludes that the conventional methods of teaching sex education cannot exclusively meet students’ needs. There is need for continuous rethinking of more innovative, proactive and participatory methods that meet the current students’ needs. The study recommends that the MoEST should come up with comprehensive and age-appropriate SRH education which is characterized by a positive approach to sexuality that accepts sexual feelings, desire and pleasure as essential components of young people’s sexuality. Key words: education, life skills, Life Skills Education, sexual and reproductive health, sexual and eproductive health education, sexuality 1 2 Racheal Njenga is an MSc graduate, UON. Dennis Khamati Shilabukha is a Research Fellow, IAGAS. Introduction and statement of the problem Population statistics indicate that one in every five persons on earth is an adolescent aged between 10-19, and 85 per cent of them live in developing countries (WHO, 2018). Further, WHO (2018) points out that an estimated 1.7 million adolescents die every year mainly from accidents, violence and pregnancy-related complications that are either preventable or treatable. These are not isolated statistics. According to Darroch et al. (2015) and UNFPA (2016), globally, unplanned teenage pregnancies, sexual engagements and unsafe sexual practices remain a challenge to sustainable development. In the same vein, WHO (2018) estimates that 16 million girls aged 15 to 19 and 2.5 million girls aged below 16 get pregnant in the Sub-Saharan region every year. Approximately 3.9 million of these girls undergo unsafe abortions annually (WHO, 2018). Teenage pregnancy is one of the leading causes of maternal and child mortality (Darroch et al., 2015; UNFPA, 2016). It is also a major contributor to the intergenerational cycle of poverty and poor health (WHO, 2018). Early sex is then associated with health problems including STIs like HIV and AIDS, early and unwanted/unplanned pregnancy, unsafe abortion, sexual coercion or violence and infertility (de Romero & Ray, 2007). To buttress this argument, the KDHS reports that teenage pregnancy rates in Kenya stand at 18 per cent (KDHS, 2014). On the other hand, the UNPF reports that 378,397 adolescent girls in Kenya aged between 10 and 19 became pregnant between July 2016 and June 2017. In recent years, Kenya has seen a heightened social concern regarding adolescents’ SRH issues due to the negative impact of early sexuality (Maticka‐Tyndale et al., 2005). According to Maticka‐Tyndale et al. (2005), the leading causes of teenage pregnancy include lack of information and manipulation by partners, especially older ones, into having unprotected sex. This goes against WHO’s dictates of reproductive health which champion that people should be able to make sound decisions to have a safe sex life with the ability to reproduce when they want to and as often as they want (WHO, 2018). In the domain of reproductive health rights, everybody has a right to access reproductive health information that will enable them to make responsible decisions about their sexuality, thereby making LSE quite essential. Life skills are behaviours that enable individuals to adapt to and deal with the demands and challenges of life effectively. There are many such skills, but core ones include the ability to make decisions, solve problems, think critically and creatively, clarify and analyse values, communicate and listen, be assertive, and negotiate, cope with emotions and stress, empathise with others and be self-aware (WHO, 2018). Life skills go a long way in enhancing the physical and emotional well-being of adolescents (Clark & Aggleton 2015). They enhance their ability to be healthy and remain free from early or unwanted pregnancy, STDs (including HIV and AIDS), sexual violence, coercion, sexual assault, rape, prostitution, malnutrition and unsafe abortion. In Kenya, LSE was introduced in the curriculum when HIV and AIDS was declared a national disaster. LSE was introduced to help school children, and their teachers respond to challenges facing young people especially in the area of HIV and AIDS. Its aim was to provide students with skills that would help them respond to situations requiring decision-making, problem-solving, communication, their sexuality and peer influence. The LSE programme is meant to promote positive health choices, practising healthy behaviour, recognizing and avoiding risky behaviour and making informed decisions (Bearinger, et al., 2007). In 2002, however, there was a review and LSE was integrated into different subjects like humanities which were appropriate hosts for implementation. However, it was discovered that the teaching of LSE within the host subjects depended on the teacher’s competences, creativity and innovativeness. As a result, there was a recommendation in 2006 that LSE be taught as a stand-alone subject. Given the need for information by young people, this study seeks to provide insights on the nature of LSE in Kenyan secondary schools and how it addresses the students’ SRH information needs and knowledge gaps. The study aims at evaluating the content and pedagogy of SRH component of the LSE policy and gathering students’ experiences with this programme. Review of related literature A life skills programme can contribute positively to the reproductive and sexual health of young people (UNICEF, 2000). This can be realized if such a programme is made compulsory and contains important components such as positive public health policies and youth-friendly health information. As a number of studies have demonstrated, possessing life skills is critical to young people’s ability to positively adapt to and deal with the demands and challenges of life (UNICEF, 2000; Kirby, 2001). LSE programmes vary in form, content, extent and intensity when addressing the issues identified in various contexts. Although, the SRH curricula always vary in the intensity and focus, it can easily be categorized into two main groups: abstinence-only education and sex or HIV education (Sidze et al., 2017). Studies show that on one hand, abstinence-only programmes do not demonstrate total positive outcomes on adolescents’ sexual behaviour or any effect on contraceptive use among participants who are sexually active (Sidze et al., 2017; Keogh et al., 2018). On the other hand, sex and HIV and AIDS programmes have led to positive results on some behavioural patterns related to sex and HIV and AIDS. These include delays in the onset of sex, decrease in the number of sexual partners and reduced frequency of sex. Such programmes have also been associated with an increase in condom and contraceptive use among the youths (UNICEF, 2000). In a nutshell, SRH programmes should aim at helping teenagers make safer sexual choices, become responsible and make a positive difference in their lives. A study done on SRH education policies and programmes in Kenya found that it has had setbacks because of the conservative social-cultural norms, lack of comprehensiveness in topics coverage, lack of teacher training on the subject matter and insufficient teaching and learning materials (Keogh et al., 2001). The study aimed at examining sexual and SRH education in Kenya and implementation of the same in schools. The study also examined concepts and messages that are used in line with the approach to sexuality education. It covered three counties: Homa Bay, Mombasa and Nairobi. The study acknowledged the government’s commitment to provide sexuality education by its adoption of international and regional polices on SRH education and the development and revision of SRH education policies. The study recommends that SRH education be comprehensive and be prioritized from the primary school level. There is also need for integration and incorporation of a broad range of SRH topics into LSE. The subject should be examinable and sufficient time should be allocated to it in the class timetable. There is also need to improve teacher training and develop programmes that monitor and evaluate the teaching of SRH education in schools. Additionally, there should be coordination between the government, NGOs and other bodies that run SRH education and programmes for adolescents in Kenya. The findings of the study may be the reason Keogh et al. (2018) postulate that school-based comprehensive SRH education is key to the achievement of adolescents’ SRH and rights. With age appropriate school-based SRH education, adolescents will also achieve full potential in other areas of their lives. However, the implementation of such programmes is fraught with several challenges. A study done in four countries from two different regions (Latin America and Africa) highlighted some of the challenges, which were associated with planning and implementation. The challenges related to programme planning included lack of adequate funding for CSE, poor or lack of coordination between different stakeholders in CSE programmes and lack of adequate monitoring and evaluating tools and systems. On the other hand, implementation-related challenges included lack of goodwill to integrate CSE into other subjects, the problem of adapting CSE curriculum to local contexts that meet the SRH needs of the adolescents, lack of goodwill and poor participation of different CSE curriculum development stakeholders. Despite facing similar CSE implementation challenges, the different countries employed different strategies to overcome them. These strategies offer useful lessons to other countries facing similar implementation challenges. Students’ experiences on SRH programmes In analyzing student experiences on SRH programmes, (Kalanda, 2010) has looked at how LSE and SRH education changes the behaviour of students and teachers. Kalanda draws evidence from Malawi and observes that some of the issues affecting the youth are school dropout, HIV and AIDS and drug abuse. In an effort to address these issues, the government of Malawi introduced LSE and SRH education. Among the factors he analysed were the level of knowledge among the primary and secondary school students after the introduction of and implementation of LSE/SRH programmes in the Malawian schools. He studies the effectiveness of these programmes and the resultant behaviour change in students and teachers. He was concerned with the extent to which LSE/SRH objectives were achieved in the period of 6 years from 2002. The findings of the study suggest that the knowledge of LSE/SRH content among students is low, with most areas having a score of less than 50 per cent. This is an indication that the LSE/SRH programme is not sufficiently taught in primary schools. This is attributed to inadequate teaching and learning materials, shortage of teachers, lack of proper orientation of teachers to the subject and inadequate time allocation to LSE/SRH lessons. The score was higher among secondary school students which is attributed to a longer period of exposure to LSE/SRH education. The study indicates that most teachers felt that LSE/ SRH was positively changing the behaviour of students. The teachers that have taught LSE/SRH reported having benefited from the subject. The study recommends that in the long term, the LSE/SRH programme should be introduced in all university faculties and all teacher training institutions. The MOEST should increase LSE/SRH resources and make the subject examinable to increase the level of commitment towards it. Following in the footsteps of Kalanda, other scholars such as Hindin & Fatusi (2009) have tried to examine trends and interventions of adolescent SRH education in developing countries. They have noted that the environment in which youths make SRH decisions is rapidly evolving. At the same time, the rates of sexual initiation among adolescents is rising, childbearing and marriages are progressively unlinked. They additionally note that multiple sexual partners and HIV and AIDS prevalence add to risks associated with early sexual activities. All these risk factors have led to the conclusion that there is need for more comprehensive SRH education, comprising more than the abstinence-only message. There is need for well-designed impact evaluations to analyse the quality and content of SRH education and intervention. Such analysis should target young people in school and out of school; meaning there should be programmes at the community level as well. There is need for programmes that go beyond HIV and AIDS to focus on a wider range of SRH topics, and integration of gender perspectives in SRH education. There are different sexual and reproductive needs among the genders and some of the consequences of sexual activities are gender specific. For that matter, SRH education, particularly in developing countries, should be designed to be gender-sensitive, aiming at empowering adolescents. Special consideration should be given to young women regarding sexual negotiation behaviour on the basis of accurate information. Furthermore, there should be a shift from SRH education focusing on abstinence-only and the ABC (abstinence, being faithful and use of condoms) which has been the main focus in the last few years and has been found to have had little or no impact on the desired SRH outcomes for young people. The broader thinking is hinged on the need for a shift in the way SRH education is conceptualized so that it is easily adapted to meet the needs of young people in specific contexts. Materials and methods The study was carried out in Ruiru Sub-County, Kiambu County which is one of the counties in the central Kenya region. The study collected both secondary and primary data. Secondary data entailed analysis of reports from the MoE, KICD, MoH Division of Reproductive Health and local not-for-profit organizations dealing with SRH. These were sources of the key documents reviewed as secondary sources of quantitative data. Key measures were; demographics, content and pedagogical approach, experiences and perceptions of students and teachers on LSE’s addressing of reproductive health information needs and gaps among adolescents. The study also collected qualitative and quantitative data. Qualitative data was collected through a semi-structured questionnaire. From youths who had completed secondary school in 2017. A list of these youths was obtained from three secondary schools. The schools were purposively sampled to represent the three regions of the study site. From the list, the researcher randomly sampled 60 youths who were interviewed from their respective locations. The youths were divided on the basis of their sex and regions, classified into rural villages, urban and informal settlements to obtain a wider perspective of the study. From each region, 20 respondents were randomly sampled. The sample size was 60 youths (29 boys and 31 girls). Information was collected on the perceptions and attitudes of respondents regarding SRH in LSE. It also helped in the clarification of answers and probing for more information from the respondents. It captured the demographic information of the respondents, their experiences and perception of SRH in LSE. The study also collected qualitative data from key informants using the KII guide. The key informants included 15 LSE teachers from 15 different schools in the study area. The informants were purposively selected on the basis of their expertise and knowledge of the subject matter to explore the link between LSE and SRH among adolescents, in order to give a deeper understanding of the nature, content and teaching methodologies, attitudes of students and teachers as well as classroom and school environment factors. The quantitative data from the study was analysed through computation of various descriptive statistics such as means, percentages, frequencies and standard deviations to derive summaries of various findings. On the other hand, qualitative data was analysed thematically in line with the study objectives. Verbatim and anecdotal quotes have been used alongside presentation of the findings to project the voices of the informants. Findings and Discussion Content and Pedagogy of LSE Policy on SRH The study’s first objective sought to examine LSE curriculum policy on SRH in Kenya’s secondary schools in terms of content and pedagogy. It was established that LSE has been taught in secondary schools in Kenya for close to two decades. LSE was introduced in the curriculum when HIV and AIDS was declared a national disaster and was taught as a single topic of the HIV and AIDS syllabus. Findings show that the LSE curriculum policy was developed with the major objective of equipping the adolescents with psycho-social competences which would enable them to develop adaptive and positive behaviour so as to deal effectively with challenges and demands of everyday life. Analysis of the curriculum content policy shows that LSE was allocated one lesson per week across all levels in secondary schools, replacing the Physical Education lesson. It has since been established that with the new syllabus, LSE is designed to promote general skills for day-to-day living, such as self-appreciation, improving interpersonal relationships, acquiring decision-making skills, respecting other people’s rights and coping with stress and emotions. Within LSE, SRH education is also covered but not examinable. Teachers give more attention to examinable subjects. Table - A18 presents the topics that are covered in the curriculum. The study findings also show that the content of SRH within LSE is structured to include ageappropriate content from form one to form four. The curriculum reasonably covers communication skills for the adolescents which broadly focuses on refusal skills and risk avoidance skills. It is structured to have gender-specific messages for both boys and girls at different age brackets. This was illustrated by one respondent who noted that: “Our teacher would separate us from girls when she wanted to tell them something that she felt was only relevant to the girls and not boys...” Respondent 39. Male 20 years. Another respondent confirmed the above assertion by indicating that some schools would have gender-specific messages tailored for them: “Our teacher would tell us in detail about sex and reproduction freely and also touch on a few things about boys just to let us know.” Respondent 11, Female 18 years. In as much as it is required that the LSE teachers tailor the sexual education to the needs of boys and girls and sometimes separate them in case of mixed schools, some respondents noted that LSE was conducted in the same classroom for both boys and girls. This is exemplified by the following comment: “When we were being taught life skills, we were never divided... the teacher would come just like for any other lessons and teach us in our class while we are just together.” Respondent 23, Male 19 years. Study findings indicate that the curriculum has deficiencies in a number of areas such as the exclusion of key topics like practical aspects of reproduction, abortion, information on access and use of condoms, sexual health services, and omission of other social and contextual aspects, such as harassment and parental monitoring. This was supported by one key informant who noted the following: “For the Life Skills Education to deliver on its objectives it has to be context-specific so that issues happening here in Kiambu County are contextualized and looked at differently from issues in other parts of the country. There are some cultural practices in some areas that the curriculum must speak to or else it stands to fail.” These findings are in line with a study by Kirby (2001). For SRH education programme to be effective, it should provide information about sexuality, including human body development, sexual relationships, interpersonal skills, sexual health, sexual behaviour and socio-cultural issues related to human sexuality. The programme should provide opportunities for learners to explore, interrogate and assess sexual behaviour and attitudes. This would help them develop values, create self-esteem, develop the ability to relate with both genders and ensure an understanding of their responsibilities to each other. The SRH education should aim at developing interpersonal skills, including ability to create healthy and satisfying relationships, dealing with peer pressure, communication, assertiveness, decision-making and problemsolving skills. It should enable the learners to take responsibility regarding sexual relationships. Having gone through the programme, adolescents should be able to address issues, like abstinence, the ability to resist pressure and safe sex. Moreover, the results reveal that the curriculum has a weak focus on gender and human rights issues, such as the rights of people living with HIV and AIDS. Equally, topics such as forced sex, GBV and intimate partner violence were largely ignored. These findings show that the information provided to students in SRH was not sufficient to help in reducing the risk of unintended pregnancy, which is a menace in the country. It also does not explore sexual rights and the ability to detect sexual violence of any nature. The quantitative findings were corroborated by qualitative findings from the semistructured interviews and KIIs. Majority of key informants agreed that sexuality education offered in secondary schools was not comprehensive. The following voices amplify the above statements: “The Life Skills Education curriculum is not the best for the needs of students. It is focused on Biology and more so the physical and excludes topics related to sexual reproductive health and rights, and the approach prescribed by the ministry is more academic and theoretical... with little attention given to improving students’ practical skills...” KII 10, Life Skills Teacher. “Sexuality education must include information on contraceptives and pregnancy prevention and take a holistic approach to education to provide adolescents with the requisite skills to transition to adulthood….” KII 15, Life Skills Teacher. Conversely, one key informant lauded the curriculum as well articulated to meet the needs of adolescents. She held a more restrictive viewpoint, citing religious and cultural inhibitions about discussing sexual matters with students: “For me I feel it covers what these young boys and girls need to know at that particular age... We must be careful not to introduce these young people into sexual behaviour with what we are teaching them thinking that it will help them. Topics such as abortion, contraceptives and sexual orientation should be excluded from sexual and reproductive education initiatives targeting adolescents.” KII 8, LSE Teacher. Students’ experience with SRH programming in LSE The study sought to establish how students experience SRH programming in LSE. Findings show that all the students who participated in the semi-structured interviews had taken lessons in LSE and SRH education. The study noted that sexual reproductive education in LSE developed self-awareness on the importance of abstinence. The youths noted that the teachers emphasised abstinence from sexual activity and taught students on how to resist pressure for unwanted sex or that which they were not ready for. Though some students perceived that the LSE curriculum was limited in meeting their needs, there were a number of benefits gained from the programme. Results show that while LSE/SRH enabled youths to avoid early sexual onset, to others it prompted them into engaging in early sexual activities. The youths noted that sexual education made them knowledgeable on sexual matters thereby awakening their desire to experiment. Some of the respondents confirmed that they engaged in sexual activities while in school and are still sexually active. This explains the high numbers of teenage pregnancies and teenage motherhood that is rampant across the country. The study findings showed that sex education equipped learners with the necessary psychosocial skills to realize the importance of good reproductive health. The youths noted that the LSE curriculum imparted the students with knowledge on HIV and AIDS prevention and transmission of STDs such as HIV and AIDs. Analysis shows that students have other sources of information on SRH besides the LSE curriculum. From the findings, majority of the respondents indicated that peers are the main source of information for adolescents in schools (mean=4.6827). The respondents indicated that places of worship contributed highly as a source of information on sexual education among adolescents (mean=4.4676). LSE Curriculum and social media was showers to contribute highly in informing adolescents on SRH (mean=4.5567) and (mean=4.4255) respectively. The respondents cited that most of them watch television, therefore, some adolescents get information on SRH from it (mean=4.2766) others were; relatives (mean=4.0648), parents (mean=3.8085), the radio (mean=3.7234), and others (mean=3.8213). The above quantitative findings were corroborated by qualitative findings on the sources of information on SRH among the adolescents. The LSE teachers also confirmed the plethora of sources of information that have the potential of shaping the youths’ sexual behaviour. Some noted that the internet must be checked because It is a commonly abused source. Almost all students indicated that SRH education taught in schools informed them about unintended pregnancy, HIV and AIDS and STIs, which implies that some students recognize the multiple benefits of sexuality education in addressing various issues that they perceive as prevalent in their lives. These youths’ experiences regarding SRH education was positive because they reported that it had been useful in their personal lives. While a major aim of sexuality education is to impart the practical skills and knowledge needed for adolescents to safely navigate their sexual reproductive lives, comprehensive sexuality education programmes should seek to teach adolescents to exercise their sexual and reproductive rights safely and responsibly by recognizing the perils of sexual activity at their normative age. This is in line with what Moletsane (2014) found while looking at the need for quality SRH education in addressing barriers to adolescent girls’ educational outcomes in South Africa. Her study focused on what schools can do differently in order to provide effective SRH education to mitigate the problem of unplanned pregnancies among adolescent girls. To address early pregnancy as a barrier to girls’ education, SRH programmes should integrate gender in its programmes. There was also a need to teach both genders critical thinking and interpersonal skills. According to Moletsane (2014) the SRH curricula currently provided in South African schools has resulted in negative health outcomes for adolescent girls, including unplanned pregnancies, early marriages and HIV/STIs, that have a negative impact on girls’ success in school. These findings also corroborate those of Hidin & Fatusi (2010) in looking at trends and interventions of adolescent SRH in developing countries. They noted that the environment in which youths make SRH decisions is rapidly evolving. The rates of sexual initiations among adolescents is rising, childbearing and marriages are progressively unlinked, multiple sexual partners and HIV and AIDS prevalence add to risks associated with early sexual activities. Conclusion The study revealed the inadequacies of the Kenyan LSE curriculum such as the teaching approach and the content that leaves out some of the critical areas necessary for sexual education. The students were found to be inadequately exposed to an organized schoolbased sex education. Indeed, the curriculum was found to stress on abstinence and HIV and AIDS and STIs prevention and transmission which served to improve sexual behaviours among most adolescents although not comprehensive enough to attend to all the information needs of the students. The students got the bulk of sex information from other sources away from the school. Peers and media were identified as the most popular sources of information. Study findings also indicate that the curriculum appears to have deficiencies in a number of areas such as the exclusion of key topics such as practical aspects of reproduction, abortion, information on access to condoms and sexual health services. Other omitted social and contextual aspects are sexual harassment and parental monitoring. Majority of key informants agreed that the sexuality education offered in secondary schools was not comprehensive. Moreover, the results revealed that the curriculum has limited information on gender and human rights topics such as the rights of people living with HIV and AIDS, forced sex, GBV and intimate partner violence. These findings show that the information provided to students about SRH was not sufficient to help in reducing the risk of unintended pregnancies. The SRH education is not adequate in helping the adolescents know their sexual rights and be able to detect sexual violence of any nature. While the study established that learners preferred active participation during LSE lessons, it was also found that SRH education in LSE is mostly not taught as per the official time table since LSE teachers prefer to teach other examinable subjects. Students have a positive attitude towards the learning of LSE although majority indicated that it did not sufficiently meet their needs. They embraced LSE as evidenced by their participation through asking questions and discussions during the teaching of LSE in class. The cumulative evidence revealed that most schools are not yet prepared to implement the LSE programmes. The study further concludes that conventional methods of teaching sex education cannot exclusively meet the needs of the students. There is need for continuous rethinking on more innovative, proactive and participatory methods that meet the current needs of students. A multi-sectoral approach to the teaching of sex education is required and this should account for the views of students as well. Policy Recommendations In view of the findings, the study makes a number of recommendations. First, the MoE should come up with a comprehensive and age-appropriate SRH education which is characterized by a positive approach to sexuality that accepts sexual feelings, desire and pleasure as essential components of young people’s sexuality. Second, the KICD needs to conduct regular in-service training to equip teachers with relevant skills on SRH and LSE curriculum in light of the everchanging face of SRH education. Third, the MoE needs to compel school principals to ensure SRH education and LSE are taught as per the allocated time in the national curriculum. There should be a clear framework that outlines an implementation and monitoring plan. Another recommendation is that the MoE, MoH and the Ministry of Social Protection fund organize groups and local organizations to creatively encourage students and teachers about SRH education and LSE in order to improve their attitude towards the same. Finally, the study recommends that county governments support the implementation of LSE. Areas of further research This study recommends research on the experiences of teachers towards the teaching of sex education in secondary schools. Such a study would shed light on their views on how to tackle youth sexuality issues since they are very instrumental in the actual implementation of the curriculum at the classroom level. References Bearinger, L., Sieving, R., Ferguson, J., & Sharma, V. (2007). Global perspectives on the sexual and reproductive health of adolescents: patterns, prevention, and potential. The Lancet, 369(9568), pp. 1220-1231. Bulletin of the WHO, (2008). Recent news from WHO. 86(5), pp. 331-331. Clark, D., Yankah E., & Aggleton P. (2015). Life skills based HIV education: Some virtues and errors. Sex Education 15 (6): 597–612. Darroch J., Woog V., Bankole A., Ashford LS. (2016). Adding it up: Costs and benefits of meeting the contraceptive needs of adolescents. 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Available at http://www.un.org/en/development/ desa/population/pdf/commission/2012/country/Agenda%20item%208/ Decisions%20and%20resolution/Resolution%202012_1_Adolescents%20 and%20Youth.pdf Tables and Figures Table - A18: Topics covered in LSE Topics Objectives • • • • • Self-awareness • To equip the adolescent with values and develop skills Self-esteem that will enable him/her to function effectively. • Coping with To appreciate the importance of life skills in everyday • emotions life To enable the students appreciate self as a unique Coping with stress human being and develop self-esteem. • Friendship formation To develop and demonstrate ability to cope with • and maintenance • stress and emotions in everyday life. • Assertiveness To enable the student appreciate the need for • Empathy peaceful coexistence and demonstrate ability to • Effective apply the acquired skills to relate and coexist • communication peacefully with other people. To enable the learner • • Negotiation skills develop skills that enable him/her to make informed • Decision making and appropriate decisions in life. • Non-violent conflict • To enable the learner demonstrate to apply the resolution relevant life skills in dealing with emerging issues and • Effective other challenges effectively. decisionmaking skills To enable the learner develop and apply life skills that Self-understanding enhance performance in education. Source: Life Skills Education curriculum policy (2017)