The Bhutanese Leading the way.
More than 56 participants comprising of Dzongkhang Education Officers, Principals, Vice Principals and Teachers from five eastern Dzongkhag’s took part in the orientation on ‘life skill education’ organized by the Comprehensive School Health Division(CSHD) under Ministry of Education, which concluded on 14th of January in Trashigang.
In the first two days the participants were orientated with the life skills of education and the next two days with wash-water and sanitation hygiene.
Jigme Dorji, Teacher of Ramjar Middle Secondary School-Tashiyangtse, who took part in orientation programme said, during the orientation Teachers are asked not just to give the knowledge on the ten core life skills but were also asked to impart correct and proper use of skills and tools to young minds.
It was stressed that the students must be made to realize the purpose of life and schools must provide enough avenues for students to practice these skills.
He said, sex education was focused on time and again to overcome social issues and participants were informed about the use of language in the school.
All teachers were asked to address the issue of sex education in school. The trainer said that if just one teacher talked about sex, students feel awkward even to see that teacher but to solve the issue every teacher must talk about it to students to solve this issue.
The message was clearly conveyed that if all the teachers talk about sex, students will also develop a sense of adaptability.
Participants were informed that life skill is about the around the development of a person, he added.
According to the training teaching life skills as generic skills in relation to everyday life could form the foundation of life skills education for the promotion of mental well-being, healthy interaction and behavior.
More problem specific skills, such as assertively dealing with peer pressures to use drugs, to have unprotected sex or to become involved in vandalism could be built on this foundation.
Research shows that teaching skills in this way, as a part of broad-based life skills programme is an effective approach for primary prevention education.
During the water and sanitation hygiene session of the orientation, the participants were divided into five groups based on their Dzongkhags and they planned actions to be implemented back at school for the academic year 2016.
The wash- water and sanitation hygiene orientation focused mainly on seven key hygiene issues like toilets and sanitation facilities in schools, safe drinking water with different types of water treatments and in case of drought the process of adopting a nearby stream and also the ways to harvest rain water.
The participants were informed about the procedure of using a student’s health book issued by the CSHD in schools and importance of student health book to enroll the student or if he or she transfers to other schools.
While the life skills education was funded by the United Nations Population Fund (UNDFPA), the wash-water and sanitation programs were funded by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
It is said that the one of the main tools to attain the Gross National Happiness is by imparting education through life skill education in schools.
The life skill education was first introduced in 2000-2002, scouts were introduced with it in 2005, in 2006 school health coordinators were trained, then in 2007 guidebook was developed for teachers and in between 2010-1013 there was a training of trainers (ToT) across Bhutan.
