IMPLEMENTATION OF FAMILY LIFE AND HIV EDUCATION (FLHE) AMONG IN -SCHOOL ADOLESCENTS IN EDUCATION DISTRICT I (AGEGE) OF LAGOS STATE

ABSTRACT

The study investigated the Implementation of Family Life and HIV Education (FLHE) among in- school adolescents in Education District I(Agege) of Lagos State. To guide the research, four research questions were formulated with the intention of ascertaining the gaps and challenges hindering effective implementation as well as justifying the roles of Guidance Counsellors in effective  implementation of  FLHE.  Also,  two  null  hypotheses were  tested  at  .05  level of significance and used to guide the study. Descriptive Survey research design was used. The respondents comprised 300 Senior Secondary School One adolescent students randomly selected from Lagos State Government Senior Secondary Schools.  Relevant data were collected with the use of an instrument titled “Guidance Counsellors and FLHE implementation (GCFI)” developed by the researcher. The instrument was face validated by three experts and its reliability was ensured  using  Cronbach Alpha  estimate.  Reliability  Co-efficient  of .65  was  obtained.  The collected data were analyzed using Weighted mean and Standard Deviation. Findings from the study ascertained some of the roles of Guidance Counsellors in effective implementation of FLHE and also identified some challenges hindering the implementation of FLHE in Secondary Schools. Also, null hypothesis H0 was accepted while H1 was rejected showing that there is no significant difference between the mean rating of male and female adolescent students who received FLHE information from Career-subject teachers or/Guidance Counsellors and the roles played by Guidance Counsellors. Based on the findings of the study, recommendations were proffered which included that Guidance Counsellors should be the sole agent of implementation of FLHE  in schools, and that  governmental agencies and  individuals should give adequate support to FLHE curriculum and HIV/AIDS counseling in Secondary Schools in order to reduce the  high  prevalence  rate  of sexual  related  problems  among  in-school adolescents.  Finally, suggestions for further research were made.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Addressing  the  high  levels  of  unprotected  sexual  activity,  Sexually  Transmitted Infections (including HIV infection), early pregnancy and abortion, high rate of school drop- outs etc among adolescents has been a priority for program planners and policymakers over the years. UNESCO (2009) noted that packaging holistic and accurate sexual and reproductive health information for young people will predispose them to develop attitudes that support appropriate behavior. Hence, the inclusion of Family Life and HIV Education in the school curriculum.

Family Life and HIV Education (FLHE) is a planned process of education that fosters the acquisition of factual information, formation of positive attitudes, beliefs and values as well as development of skills to cope with biological, psychological, socio-cultural and spiritual aspects of human living (Nigeria Educational Reacher and Development Council, 2003). The curriculum has been structured in such a way that it provides a framework for the acquisition of knowledge of self and family living from childhood to adulthood. It also reflects a comprehensive approach to HIV prevention education from primary to tertiary levels (NERDC, 2003).

The theory behind FLHE curriculum is that inadequate knowledge can lead to unsafe sexual practices (Douglas,1997) especially at the adolescence stage of life. Adolescence as a stage in human life span is the time when the foundations for sexuality, reproductive health and gender relations are laid, and they largely shape the transition from adolescence to adulthood.Timelyprovision of accurate and comprehensive information and life skills training

regarding sexual and reproductive health is essential for adolescents to achieve sexual health and avoid negative health outcomes( Sidze, Stillman, Keogh,Mulupi,Egesa, Leong, Mutua, Muga, Bankole&Izugbara ,2017).While Family life and HIV Education (Sexuality Education) is just one component in a multifaceted approach to address, and ultimately improve, the sexual and reproductive lives of young people, it provides a structured opportunity for adolescents to gain knowledge and skills, to explore their attitudes and values, and to practice the decision making and other life skills necessary for making healthy informed choices about their sexual lives (Action Health Incorporated, 2008).   Information is the key and as such, FLHE curriculum provides access to age-appropriate comprehensive sexuality education); encourages higher levels of abstinence; later start of sexual activity; as well as higher use of contraception and fewer sexual partners for those who have initiated sexual activity (AHI, 2008).

Unfortunately, much progress has not been possible in the direction of implementation of FLHE curriculum in schools despite its benefitsbecause some people still believe that Sexuality Education promotes sexual activity; and stemming from this belief, they oppose programmes that provide access to sexual and reproductive health services. Also, some stakeholders are of the view that  the curriculum should  be reviewed  by removing such contents as sexual health, (abortion, contraception, masturbation, and homosexuality etc) due to the fact that those implementing the curriculum are not knowledgeable enough to pass on the right content to the learners.

It was also reported that some messages conveyed to students were reportedly fear- inducing and  judgmental or  focused on abstinence, emphasizing that  sex is dangerous and immoral for young people. Nearly half of students were exposed to at least one topic in five key

categories related to Sexuality Education, but only 2% of students reported learning about all of the topics that constitute a comprehensive program as defined by international standards.

(Sidze et al, 2017). Students wanted more information on contraceptive methods including how to use and where to access them and requested more participatory teaching methods.  Though, there is strong support for teaching FLHE among principals, teachers and students alike, but the topics that are integrated into compulsory and examinable subjects are limited in scope, and there is little incentive for teachers and students to prioritize them.

Sidze et al, (2017) also reported that teachers face significant challenges in the classroom, ranging from lack of time, materials or resource; to perceived community opposition, their own discomfort, and lack of knowledge or training on the topics. Supporting the assertion, Chinyere, (2004) reported that the capacity of educators and education personnel to deal with issues of HIV and AIDS remains low despite the fact that, HIV/AIDS and life skills are integral components in the curriculum of teacher preparation (HEARD/MTT, 2004).

Fortunately, research evidence and experience both show the opposite. FLHE curriculum do not lead to earlier or increased sexual activity among young people, (AHI, 2008). As a result, steps had been taken by the NERDC in2003 to review and field-test the curriculum nationally. Greater responsibility was laid on the education sector to equip targeted group of people with valid  and  reliable  information needed to  combat their  social,  psychological, biological and physical problems. Ajuwon (2005) is of the view that access to Sexuality Education for young persons is not yet universal in Nigeria and that the main challenge is in developing creative ways of meeting the unmet needs of young persons. He concluded that programme managers need to devote more effort to disseminating the benefits of sexuality to persuade policy makers and

donors  to  provide  greater  resources  for  implementing  good  quality  Sexuality  Education programmes for young persons in Nigeria.

Teachers must be comfortable to teach it. Effective teaching about sexuality, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV, and HIV prevention requires an open, facilitating environment. This is difficult to achieve in traditional classrooms. Besides, the power differential and distance between teachers (adults) and pupils (often children and adolescents), the search for the ‘right’ answers for the examination questions, etc are some of what often drives teaching on FLHE curriculum. As such, teaching on sexuality, reproductive health and HIV/AIDS, according to Chinyere (2004), can only be achieved through better access to Counselling and treatment centres and  it  is recommended to  provide such  facilities in  schools,  institutions and  youth centres.

In view of the above, achieving the main purpose of FLHE implementation needs a proper and adequate environment as well as trained professionals, in order to achieve great result.   Importantly,   adolescents   are   confronted   with   physiological,   psychological   and sociological developmental problems. Guidance Counsellors are supposedly equipped with skills in  providing  counselling  and  social  casework  treatment  to  different  categories  of  people including the adolescents. Palmer (2002) opined that preventing problems during adolescence is more practical, cost effective and resource efficient than addressing problems once they occur. In this wise, Guidance Counsellors are professionally prepared to disseminate reproductive health information  to  the  adolescents  in  the  context  of  unprotected  sexual  relations  and  the consequences such as early pregnancy, unwanted pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and other health hazards and psychosocial problems such as emotional disturbances and dropping out of school.

Therefore, the justification for this study is premised on the fact that adolescents are more at risk of acquiring HIV/AIDS and STDs and more at risk of complications resulting from pregnancy and childbirth; and secondly, most of the adolescent reproductive health problems are preventable, hence the expectation that Guidance Counsellors have to play important roles in helping the young adolescents to enjoy good reproductive health.

Statement of the Problem

Contemporary behaviours and sexual activities of the adolescents have overtly showed that fundamental transformation has taken place in the lives of young people in recent years. They are confirmed to have much greater autonomy than they did in the past, and parental involvement in their everyday life including moral guidance, is declining. With the reduced influence of significant others, the inability of the adolescents to handle their sexual impulses have come to the open, and as observed by Adelabu and Henry (1998), adolescents now engaged in one form of sexual experimentation or the other for pleasure which shortened their life span as well as create problems in the generational gap of the world.

Curbing the problem above, the schools are expected to communicate knowledge, instill values and promote behaviours that will enable students to protect themselves against all sexual related problems. These expectations are legitimate given that, in the absence of a vaccine, other preventions involve some learning and some relatively permanent change in behaviour arising from a communication process. This being so, it seems reasonable to expect that the school as society’s most formal teaching-learning institution should play a very active role in the communication of messages about sexuality and HIV needed for propounding solutions to sexual problems among adolescents.

Although there  has been considerable tinkering around the edges, this  has not been accompanied by great efforts to re-examine education in its entirety, or to ask whether, as currently conceived and provided, education can meet expectations that it is a potent force for gaining control over sexuality problems (Kelly, 2000). The question is whether the purpose of implementing FLHE curriculum is achieved or not. According to the report of UNESCO (2010) on “Levers of success: case studies of national sexuality education programmes”, it was discovered that there are key barriers to effective implementation of FLHE curriculum. These include: resistance to teaching FLHE by teachers and school administrators; low teacher morale coupled  with  poor  supervision and  poor  support  from school administrators; crowded  and inhospitable classrooms that undermine participatory teaching methods; insufficient teaching and learning materials (in a context of general shortage); limited number of trained career-

subjects’ teachers leading to FLHE being delivered by untrained teachers; and frequent transfer and promotion of well-trained and motivated teachers.

Thus, achieving a difference in students’ knowledge and behaviour, which is the most basic requirement for effectiveness in teaching and learning, can only be through curricular as well as co-curricular activities which are only embedded in Guidance and Counselling.

This work intends to make a case for the role of Guidance Counsellors in the effective implementation of Family Life and HIV education (FLHE) in the school system as a means of training the adolescents to have knowledge and positive attitude as regards sexuality. It intends to air the views of the students about the agents of implementation of FLHE curriculum in the school system and the need to bring in the Guidance Counsellors as the sole agent of implementation of FLHE curriculum.

Purpose of the Study.

This study intends to ascertain the implementation of Family Life and HIV Education

(FLHE) among in-school adolescents in Education District I (Agege) of Lagos state.

Specifically, the study sought to:

i.      ascertain the gaps and challenges of Family Life and HIV Education curriculum implementation in schools;

ii.      identify the roles of Guidance Counsellors in effective implementation of Family Life and

HIV Education curriculum among in-school adolescents;

iii.      prose  action  points  for  effective  implementation  of  FLHE  by  Guidance  Counsellor  in schools;

iv.      redefine FLHE curriculum design to makes its implementation more effective for Guidance

Counsellors in schools.

Research Questions

The following questions were formulated to guide the study:

1.  What  are  the  gaps  and  challenges  of  Family  Life  and  HIV  Education  curriculum implementation in school?

2.  What are the roles of Guidance Counsellor in effective implementation of Family Life and HIV Education curriculum in schools?

3.  What  are  the  ways  by  which  Family  Life  and  HIV  Education  curriculum  can  be effectively implemented by Guidance Counsellor in schools?

4.  How can FLHE curriculum be re-design to makes its implementation more effective for

Guidance Counsellors?

Hypotheses

These hypotheses will be tested at probability alpha level of 0.05

H0           There is no significant difference in themean responses of male and female adolescent students that received Family Life and HIV Education curriculum from Career-subject teachers or Guidance Counsellors and the roles played by Guidance Counsellors.

H1           There is significant difference in the mean responses of male and female adolescent students that received Family Life and HIV Education curriculum from Career-subject teachers and Guidance Counsellors and the roles played by Guidance Counsellors.

Significance of the Study

This piece of work possesses both theoretical as well as practical significance. Theoretically, Social  Learning  Theory of  Albert  Bandura  and  Walters  (1953)  confirms  the  behaviour  of

adolescents all over the world. According to these theorists, observational learning generally takes place in a social situation involving a model (either real life model such as significant others, or symbolic models like pictorial or written materials e.g. Television and films, books, magazines etc) and an imitator (adolescents). It is a common practice that the adolescents try to imitate in their real life what they saw in significant others or viewed on the television or listened to on radio. This is to say that; adult (teachers, parents, guardians etc) must try to guide children in their day-to-day activities so  that they will imitate socially acceptable  behaviours. Also,

individual acquires a variety of new responses like aggression; sex etc from a model through observation thereby developing his/her positive or negative personality.

Considering the significance practically, effective implementation of Family Life and HIV Education (FLHE) on adolescents’ sexuality problem will be of immense benefits to various set of people and organizational bodies as well as the society as a whole. Such people include the adolescents, parents, teachers, Guidance Counsellors, Peer Educator Trainers, community, Policy makers, educational boards both at the Federal and state level, curriculum planners, people who are interested in advocating for and initiating school-based efforts related to adolescence etc. Adolescents

With effective implementation of Family Life and HIV Education (FLHE), young people in Nigeria are more likely to succeed in school, have quality of life and relationships, and contribute to the economy and productivity of their country as the case of other adolescents in other countries where education on sexuality of adolescent is the first priority. Placing this very study on internet, as there is increase in adolescents’ access to Information and Communication Technology, it will give both in-school and out of school adolescents the opportunity to know that there exist a curriculum that can help them handle their sexuality properly thereby giving them the  opportunity to  develop healthy relationship which will contribute to their overall development in life positively irrespective of civilization or global technological advancement which are some of the causes of negative sexual behaviours. More so, findings from this study will enable adolescents to be very comfortable in discussing sexuality issues and perceived self- efficacy to adopt safe behaviour. They will be well knowledgeable about reproductive health outcomes including unwanted pregnancy, as well as develop sound attitudes towards adopting safe  sex  behaviour  and  attitude  towards  persons  living  with  HIV/AIDS  having  developed

necessary Social life skills. More so, adolescents will be focused and perform excellently well in their academics and other life endeavours because there will be reduction in the rate of emotional instability experienced by adolescents’ lack of life skills to cope with the challenges faced.

The Policy Maker

The findings from this research will benefits the Policy Makers in that they will be aptly armed with the useful information from this research to form effective broad-based gender sensitive and age appropriate sexuality policies mainly for adolescents. The government will get to know that there is the need to regulate influx of foreign films as well as monitor and censor our local films (all movie and music industries activities) because adolescents are bound to act out what they see as well as hear so as to protect our adolescents from the adverse effects of exposure to pornographic films

Also, Policy Maker will be able to enforce law against illegal abortions as this is one of the leading cause of death among female adolescents. It will give the government first-hand knowledge about the extent to which implementation of Family Life and HIV Education (FLHE) curriculum in schools has gone and why it has not been fully effective due to some of the constraints attached to it.It will also enable the government to know that there is the need toprohibit the abuse of young people, including sexual abuse and harmful traditional practices, make public statements that emphasize the importance of young people’s reproductive health, and speak in favour of design for health, educational and social policies and programmes that will enhance young people’s well-being, thereby endorsing and committing funds to support programs to address young people’s concerns.

The parents

Findings from this research will make parents tounderstand that the silence surrounding the issue of sexuality in Nigeria has been unfolded as their adolescents are being exposed to a curriculum  handling  their  sexuality  in  schools.  This  material  will  awaken parents  to  their responsibility to teach certain aspects of sexuality at home so that their children will be well prepared for family life by providing a supportive and safe environment for children; as well as setting and maintaining limits for dating and other social activities they are involved in and outside the home. Parents will be well-informed about human sexuality, talk with them about reproductive health and sexual responsibility and answer all their questions fully and accurately. Also,  it  will enable  parents to  model sexually healthy attitudes in their  own relationships. Listening to children compassionately, without dismissing their concerns as childish or condemning their questions as improper will also be easy. The importance of early inculcation of sexuality education will also be exposed to them thereby knowing their short comings and the ways out. The misconceptions about Family Life and HIV Education will also be erased because parents will be so confident to appeal for; and support national, community and in-school efforts to provide adolescents with reproductive health information and services

The Teachers

Teachers  as  one  of the  instructional considerations  in  curriculum development  will benefit from this study because they will be exposed to the urgent need of transmitting human sexuality knowledge to the adolescents as soon as they know the world is depending on them to create changes in the world of HIV/AIDS. They will also ensure that school activities provide experiences  that  reinforce  values  and  group  norms  against  unprotected  sexual  behaviours.

Teachers will also realize the need for facilitating better communication about sexuality and contraception between students and their parents, by sensitizing parents on the need to show interest. This work will also enhance positive social relationships between teachers and students, as well as support school Guidance counsellors to perform their expected roles. It will also help to fosters teacher to teacher relationship as well as teacher to learners’ relationship when dealing with HIV infected or affected people in the school settings.

The Guidance Counsellors

Guidance Counsellors, as trained personnel to handle the affective and psychosocial domains of learners, have the task of demystifying sexuality by providing adolescents with adequate and relevant information regarding sexuality and reproductive health. Counsellors will learn new strategies like counselling on proper gender-role perception and abstinence to help adolescents  stay away  from sex  until they  are  ready.  This  will  also  make  Counsellors to encourage the development of skills such as decision making skills, negotiation skills etc., that will  help  adolescents ward  off peers who  may  intimidate or  lure  them  into  wrong sexual practices.

The school Counsellors will also learn to stand in their place of providing usable and reliable information to students based on their emotions and personalities as well as intervening in unwanted pregnancy cases, abortions etc, so that the victims of these acts will not end up as drop-outs. It  will also  empower practicing Counsellors to  map-out effective programme on sexuality continuously in schools that will take into cognizance contextual, environmental and structural factors influencing young people sexual choices, actions and behaviours in this HIV/AIDS world of ours.

The Curriculum planners:

This research work will recommend a veritable pathway towards changing the attitude that may be noted during the course of this research work while giving clue to how Family Life and HIV Education textbooks can be adjusted to suit the relevance of secondary school students without over exposing them psychologically.The result will also be an eye opener to curriculum planners so as to know the best agents of implementation of FLHE curriculum than the set of people trained to implement the curriculum. Learning about sexuality issues among adolescents is better achieved when it  is done in a fun and relaxed atmosphere and not in a structured classroom where learners perceive their teachers as parents or higher authorities. Therefore, it will enable the curriculum planner to restructure the courses offered by students of Guidance and counselling department in the Universities across the nation in order to equipped them so as to be able to handle the FLHE curriculum properly, and also organized in-service training for those that are already in service so as to solve the problem of unavailability of fund used for training and retraining of career-subjects’ teachers and Peer Education Trainers year in, year out.

Scope of the Study

There are six (6) Education districts in Lagos State namely: Education District I (Agege, Alimosho    and    Ifako-Ijaiye);Education   District    II(    Ikorodu,    Kosofe    and    Shomolu); Education District  III(  Epe,  Eti-osa,  Ibeju-Lekki and  Lagos  Island);  Education District  IV (Apapa,   Surulere   and   Lagos   Mainland);   Education   District   V   (Badagry,   Ojo   and AmuwoOdofin); and Education District VI ( Oshodi, Isolo, Mushin and Ikeja). This study is limited to studying theeffective implementation of Family Life and HIV Education (FLHE) as a panacea for adolescents’ sexuality problems in Education District I (Agege) of Lagos State.

Education District 1 comprises of three (3) education zones which are Ifako-Ijaiye, Alimosho and Agege education zones.There are forty-one (41) Senior Secondary Schools in Education District 1.  The study is delimited to Senior Secondary School One students of Agege Education Zone as the subjects.

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