20060422_wpf's lsbe review in pakistan

LSBE - empowerment in action

Reviewing the World Population
Foundations (WPF) Life Skills Based Education (LSBE) programme

convened by the
World Population Foundation (WPF)
and
Health and Nutrition Development Society (HANDS)

Saturday 22 April 2006 10:00 14:00
Government Rest House, Bhit Shah, Sindh, Pakistan.

Whats on the agenda?

Welcome, ground rules and objectives

Up-scaling of the LSBE programme:

Rationale, Milestones, Budgetary implications

1) Reviewing the LSBE programme- Group Work

What went well?What could we do better?How will we change it in the future?

2) Recruitment strategies

How can we effectively recruit more classes/ teachers and students in LSBE programme?

3) Presenting the broader picture of WPFs LSBE programme for participants new to the LSBE programme

Reports from the small group work discussions

Concluding remarks and vote of thanks

Ground-rules

We trust that you will all agree to abide by the following values/norms WPF tries to bring to all our discussions:

Courtesy: meeting starts on time and discussion stays on track;

Respect: mobile phones on silent, only one voice at a time and all voices valued equally;

Professionalism: seek clarification as needed and allow time for translation;

Enjoyment: smoke free and fun environment;

Empathy: schedule breaks for religious observances.

Key objectives of todays meeting:

To introduce the expansion of the World Population Foundations (WPF) Life Skills Based Education (LSBE) programme;

To explore ways in which the programme can be improved;

To increase the community ownership of the programme by involving stakeholders in the recruitment, review and planning process;

To broaden the conceptual understanding of those stakeholders new to WPFs Life Skills Based Education (LSBE) programme.

Where are we at in the programme?








3) Presenting the broader picture of WPFs LSBE programme For participants new to the LSBE programme



Funding and compromises

Notice from NACP for review and funding happens with too short a time frame and with insufficient funding to facilitate partner involvement.

This does not align with the collaborative approach to budget and proposal development we value.

We were not involved n the setting of targets and disagree with those set but we have to live with them and strive to achieve them!

Ground gained and challenges

Inclusion of schools from WPFs public sector Life Skills Based Education (LSBE) programme has been approved as a vehicle for meeting NACPs numeric targets.

Funding available for the next two years is able to be accessed in the current year.

NACPs numeric targets present an interesting challenge.

So, what are the numbers?

For the current year, the challenge is for
new outreach to:

Another 150 teachers trained to deliver WPFs Life Skills Based Education (LSBE) programme in secondary schools

70 new private secondary schools with WPFs LSBE curriculum in place

In all schools, a further 13,600 young people who are enrolled in the LSBE programme

22,600 additional young people more broadly exposed to HIV/AIDS education in schools

How can we get there?

For the purposes of meeting NACPs targets we have proposed:

Focusing on expansion to achieve numeric targets, at the expense of youth group formation;

Merging funding support for both public and private sector schools;

Encouraging existing schools to offer the LSBE programme in three classrooms each; and

Recruiting 70 new private sector schools, with three classes operating in each.

Budgetary implications?

NACP funds (USD $115,000) will be totally allocated to meet partner costs, based on the existing level of support (USD $20,000 per year) and the generic budget developed;

The shortfall (USD $5,000) will be met from WPFs own sources (DGIS);

Other programmatic activities and overheads will be met from DGIS funding.












Group Work1) Reviewing the LSBE programmeWhat went well?What could we do better? - and for each issue;Tell us how we can change it in the future?2) Recruitment strategiesHow can we effectively recruit more classes/ teachers and students in LSBE programme?

Ground Rules for Group Work

Groups comprised of individual stakeholders:

Students facilitated by Chris

Male Parents, Teachers and Principals facilitated by Jameel

Female Parents, Teachers and Principals facilitated by Abida

People new to the LSBE programme facilitated by Dr Raana

Time for group discussion and work = 1hourPresentation time - as required












WPFs BIG Picture

International NGO established in 1989, with its headquarters in Holland (22 staff);

Working in Pakistan since 1999 with a strong local commitment (20 staff) and programmes in all four provinces

Other field offices in Vietnam (10 staff) and Indonesia (2 staff)

WPFs BIG Picture (ctd)

In Pakistan our focus is on
Adolescent Reproductive Health (ARH) via three key intervention strategies:

Advocacy;

Resource production; and

Research and programmes as a
means of building local capacity.

Adolescent Reproductive Health

Adolescence is a strange time.A time when opportunities arise, freedom beckons, and personalities develop.Yet adolescence is also a time when expectations are high, vulnerability cannot be easily admitted, and risks are underestimated - a time between childhood and adulthood, and one that is becoming longer.These pressures present special difficulties for those concerned with health promotion and provision

. . .Who is responsible
for adolescent health?

First and foremost, young people themselves.Without their participation in identifying problems and devising strategies nothing can be achieved.What society - schools, policy-makers, and health professionals in particular - has to provide is non-judgmental information and education and easy access to services geared for adolescents specifically.Adolescents will then have a real choice for healthy living.

From an editorial published in The Lancet on Young People's Health in Context a report by the WHO Regional Office for Europe on health and health behaviour of teenagers from 35 countries, released in June 2004.

What are life skills?

The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines
Life Skills as the abilities for adaptive and positive behaviour that enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life.

Adolescents need to develop
life skills in five core areas:

Self-awareness and empathy;

Communication and interpersonal skills;

Critical thinking and creative thinking;

Decision making and problem solving; and

Coping with emotions and coping with stress.

What does WPFs LSBE curriculum offer?

Our Life Skills Based Education (LSBE) programme is a personality development programme which empowers students with core skills, knowledge and attitudes to help them:

Make lifelong, informed decisions;

Manage their emotions;

Communicate effectively; and

Practice positive, health-seeking behaviour.

How is WPFs LSBE curriculum delivered?

Preliminary research was conducted on risk-taking behaviour with teachers and students in 42 schools across Pakistan, leading to locally-developed and tested teacher and student resources;

Volunteer teachers participate in a preparatory, comprehensive, residential training programme;

Classroom delivery occurs over the course
of one full academic year, via 17 modules offered to students through two 45 minute sessions per week; and

Ongoing monthly Professional Development Forums (PDFs) are offered for teachers to sustain interest and measure programme impact.

Public school implementation (Mar 06)

Private school implementation (Mar 06)

Distinct features of WPFs approach

Acceptability of personality development by conservative elements and clarity that this is
not a Sex Ed programme;

Provincial level MOU with Secretary Education Balochistan, Punjab & NWFP;

A clear focus on the empowerment of adolescents;

Strong volunteer ethos no financial incentives to participating teachers;

Capacity-building and shared vision with partner NGOs, leading to a unified implementation strategy;

Engaging with the media as partners in development;

Interest from the National AIDS Control Programme leading to expansion to private sector schools;

Distinct features of WPFs approach(ctd)

Interest from religious leaders and their desire to see it replicated in madrassas;

Meaningful involvement of young people in programmatic review and design not just as research subjects;

Enthusiasm of participating adolescents, teachers, principals and parents;

Use of MSC (Most Significant Change) monitoring and evaluation technique to measure programme impact;

Sustainability through shifting the ownership of the program from civil society to Government

Results to date:

Personality development:
Enthusiastic, attentive, empowered students communicating well, thinking logically, focussing on their work and better equipped to face lifes hurdles;

Professional development:
Committed, motivated teachers who relate better with their students;

Recognition of value and demand for expansion:
Other staff and students request to participate in the programme and existing participants demand that it be expanded nationally.

Difficulties overcome

Recruitment of schools and selection of teachers;

Creating an enabling whole-of-school environment;

Threat of transfer of trained teachers;

Attempts at obstruction by financially self-interested gatekeepers;

Provincial differences in the school calendar;

Time management.

Challenges ahead

Assimilation of our public and private schools programme;

Transferring programme ownership to Government and expanding its reach in the formal education sector;

Working with religious leaders to deliver a pilot programme in madrassas;

Gaining the additional financial resources to achieve our advocacy objective the integration of LSBE into the national core curriculum at both teacher training and student delivery levels.























For further information or to offer your support for our work please contact:

Christopher John WardleCountry Representative for PakistanWorld Population Foundation (WPF)

PO Box 736 Islamabadvoice:051 211 0539fax:051 211 0536email:[email protected]

Results from Pishin students

Broadly categorised into:

Systematic and implementation changes

Teacher training

Advocacy

Engaging with the media more

Alternative resource production

Results from Pishin students (ctd)

What went well?

LSBE programme is relevant and necessary to adolescent life and well-being and reflects core Islamic values;

Confidence and skills are built and problem-solving is particularly valued we solve issues ourselves;

Communication is enhanced at all levels;

Understanding of our common humanity and human rights has improved;

Parents appreciate the programme and it is interesting not boring;

We value the difference between right and wrong and can identify good and bad habits.


What could be done better?1) Make it examinable2) Use the workbook3) Offer to classes 8/9/104) Share student problems5) Valued teacher attention to programme

What would we change next time/1) Include tests and/or link it to assessment of workbooks2) Make workbooks available during programme, not at end3) Expand the programme train other teachers4) Share key points through peer education approach5) Curriculum reform / training / whole of school activities


What could be done better?6) Students share knowledge with others7) Gaining parental permission8) Additional content

What would we change next time/6) MSC contributions / Advocate for LSBE via pettion / Include LSBE in debates with other schools / Quiz programmes / Integrate in college programmes7) Build support through sharing appropriate resources8) Discipline / Road safety / Youth rights / Animal rights


Recruitment solutions:

Train more teachers

Get existing teachers to take classes one by one

Greater media involvement

Fact sheets small-small documents in Urdu capturing the key lessons

Cartoon repackaging of LSBE programme contents in the style of Mena

Feature stakeholders on Rising Pakistan

20060422_wpf's lsbe review in pakistan

Self Improvement