By: Our Staff Reporter
LAHORE, July 26, 2019: In an effort to integrate Life Skills Based Education – LSBE into the syllabus of secondary education of Punjab board, Youth Advocacy Network (YAN), a youth led organization working on policy and advocacy, organized orientation session with Teacher’s Association in Punjab to highlight the significance of LSBE. This activity was organized to brought teachers’ associations and unions on the same page for the advocacy of LSBE at provincial level.
All teachers unanimously acknowledged the importance of integrating LSBE into mainstream curriculum while highlighting the challenges such as untrained teachers, redundant examination system, and excessive administrative duties assigned to teachers.
Research and Communications officer of YAN, Mommnah Asad updated them on LSBE integration process and progress so far. All teachers unanimously acknowledged the importance of integrating LSBE into mainstream curriculum while highlighting the challenges such as untrained teachers, redundant examination system, and excessive administrative duties assigned to teachers. All these challenges can prove detrimental for the successful implementation of LSBE in schools and hence require appropriate lobbying strategies.
Apart from challenges, the huge emphasized was laid on individual strategies on how to include LSBE content within classes before its inclusion in curriculum and textbooks. Moreover, General Secretary Punjab Teachers’ Union, Mr. Kashif expressed the commitment to advocate for the inclusion of life skills and will dispense knowledge regarding importance of LSBE in their meetings.
“Life skills based education content includes different modules which teach children to be able to protect themselves, personal hygiene, confidence building, nutrition, human rights, protection from different diseases and fundamental rights. Provision of such information is necessary for boys and girls to make them a better human beings and responsible citizens, said Mommnah Asad. She further mentioned that life skills based education is a part of the National Education Policy as well as the Youth Policy, enabling the students to gain knowledge in order to protect themselves and make them more confident.