BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The introduction of Family Life Education (FLE) into the school system was a response to the perceived consequences of rapid population growth as well as the observed socio-cultural problems associated with teenage pregnancies, emergence of HIV/AIDS pandemic, high school dropouts, drug abuse and environmental degradation.  The concern of the government was to address these issues in order to improve the quality of life of its citizens and the youth in particular.  The formal education system was therefore regarded as an important channel to reach school youths in order to influence change of behaviour.

Since 1987 there have been initiatives by the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania to introduce FLE into the entire system of Education.  The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (MoEVT) both as executing and implementing agency have financially and technically sponsored the initiative.  MoEVT is implementing this project through the Tanzania Institute of Education where FLE is based in recognition of the fact that it is a curriculum focused educational institution.  Family Life Education Project has undergone a number of phases as follows. 

PHASE I  -  (1987 – 1992)

The Ministry of Education and Culture began implementing the first phase of the Family Life Education Pilot Project in 1987.  The aim was to pilot-test the introduction of FLE in 10 primary schools, 5 secondary schools and 5 Teachers' Colleges in three Regions namely, Morogoro, Iringa and Mtwara.

The project Long-term objectives were to:

• To bring to the Tanzania growing youth awareness of his/her cultural, social, economic and spiritual role as a responsible citizen to the community;

• To integrate family life education systematically into the Tanzania education system at both formal and non-formal levels and

• To contribute to the moral, emotional, cultural and spiritual development of every family member in a way which will maximize personal growth and happiness so that he/she will perform his/her roles as a member of Tanzania society in conformity with society's values and norms?

• Strengthen the capacity of Ministry of Education and Culture and enable them plan, implement, monitor and evaluate FLE in schools and colleges;

• Design and prepare appropriate instructional materials for use in teaching FLE in primary and secondary schools and teachers' colleges;

• Sensitize Tanzanian parents and the community on the importance of FLE in Tanzania schools and colleges;

• To test the feasibility of teaching FLE in Tanzanian schools at different levels by means of a pilot study in selected primary and secondary schools and teachers' colleges;

• Increase awareness and understanding of learners at primary and secondary schools and teachers colleges about FLE issues and problems.

PHASE II  -  (1996 – 1997)

The second phase of the FLE project started after a time lapse of three years (1993 to 1995) from the end of the first phase.  It was planned for (2½) two and a half years, but it was operational for only 18 months – January 1996 – June 1997 due to late signing of the project document.

• To inculcate in the Tanzania growing youth positive population Family Life attitudes, values and behaviour to enable him/her contribute effectively to national self-reliance and enhance community and family well-being.

• To integrate and institutionalize Family Life Education systematically into all levels of formal and non-formal education system of Tanzania in support of achieving the goals and objectives of the National Population Policy;

• To contribute to the physical, mental, emotional, cultural and spiritual development of every family member in a way which will maximize personal growth and happiness so that he/she will perform his/her roles as a member of the Tanzania society in conformity with society's values and norms.

• Establish full-fledged FLE Unit in TIE headquarters;

• Redeploys or recruit full time staff to FLE Unit;

• Open separate Project Account

• Have provided information and data for improvement of FLE materials and implementation at school level through completion of pilot study, socio-cultural research and teachers training colleges needs assessment;

• Have improved content and produced sufficient quantity of FLE materials through revision of students and teachers manuals and integrated curricula into official syllabuses for use in schools and teachers colleges.

• Have increased the knowledge-base, management and technical skills of project staff, education officers, primary school teachers, secondary school teachers to plan, implement and monitor FLE;

• Have introduced the teaching of FLE in primary schools, secondary schools, Teachers Training Colleges through printing and distribution of instructional materials plus sensitizing principles from Teachers College, heads of secondary schools and tutors from teacher's Colleges.

In a period of 18 months some progress were made in setting motion the process of institutionalizing FLE into the education system.

• Conducting an in-country training course in FLE knowledge and skills for 35 participants (5 MoEC staff, 4 project staff, 6 curriculum developers, 6 TTC tutors, 6 school inspectors, 3 classroom teachers and 5 project staff from MEES project – Zanzibar).

• Integration of FLE topics, content and messages into the syllabi of host subjects for secondary schools and teachers colleges.  Host subjects for secondary schools include Biology, Geography, Civics and Home Economics while for Teachers College it included General Studies, Psychology and Guidance and Counselling at Diploma level.  At Grade A level, it included Uraia, Saikolojia, Nasaha na Kunasihi.

• Training of 6 project staff at the UNFPA Regional Population IEC/POPFLE Training Programme, Nairobi.

• Conducting FLE related socio-cultural research.

The activities undertaken during phase two were a bridging gap between phase one and the preparation of a solid ground for future FLE Country programme and education review as was determined by the government.  While awaiting for the formulation of the 4th UNFPA country programme the project continued to be operational for a period of (6) six months as extension to the 18 months up to December 1997.  This period facilitated the drafting of FLE materials for both students/tutors.  However, there was a break of another six months before the project could continue to the 3rd Phase.

Phase III of the Family Life Education became operational in 1998 July. The Project immediate objectives were:

• Drafting of pupil/students text materials based on integrated FLE concepts, content and objectives;

• Writing of FLE Teachers' guides for secondary school teachers in Biology, Geography, Civics and Home – Economics;

• Writing of FLE Source Books on 4 major FLE themes, namely; Population and Sustainable Development, Family and Family Life, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Gender Equity, Equality and Women Empowerment.

• Establishment of Monitoring and Evaluation mechanism for the implementation of the project.

• Writing Knowledge, Attitude, Practice (KAP) Study Proposal and related instruments for data collection.

• Development of FLE TOTs training Manual based on effective FLE teaching methodologies.

• Training of 2 Project Staff in FLE Guidance and Counselling Skills.

• Identifying FLE Guidance and Counselling issues and Life Skills to be incorporated in MOEC guidance and Counselling Manual.

Achievements:
All the planned activities were implemented except the following:

• Development of Training Guide for school-based counselors due to resource constraints.

• Integration of FLE into primary school curricula due to time limit.

During this last phase, which started in January 2002, the project had planned to implement the following activities:

• Develop, Review/adopt reprint and distribute gender sensitive RH/IEC materials in schools.

• Organize attachment IEC/BCC theatre groups for FLE/ARH Sensitization;

• Conduct Gender Responsive Training for school teachers, counselors and peer educators' countrywide.

• Conduct field monitoring visits to some selected secondary schools;

• Collect, analyse, report and utilize Gender Sensitive SRH data;

• Conduct a Gender Sensitive Post KAP Study Survey

Achievements:
Among the above mentioned objectives the following were accomplished:

• Conducted Gender Responsive Training for secondary school teachers in all Educational Zones except Southern Highland Zone due to financial constraints;

• Conducted field monitoring visits to some selected secondary schools;

• Conducted Gender Responsive Training for secondary school peer educators in Singida, Coast and Dar-es-Salaam regions;

• Reviewed, printed and distributed FLE teaching and learning materials for secondary school level.

Since FLE Project was institutionalized in schools and Teachers' Colleges, the project has managed to conduct the following courses:

• Training of 242 FLE Trainer of Trainers which included 40 Principals from Teachers' Colleges, Tutors, 35 Zonal School Inspectors specialized in FLE host subjects, 5 MOEVT staff, 11 Curriculum Developers and 4 FLE staff.

• Training of 883 heads of secondary schools in FLE knowledge and monitoring skills from all Regional Zones except the Southern Highlands due to financial constraints.

• Training of 2382 secondary school teachers charged with the teaching of FLE host subjects in FLE knowledge and skills from all Regional Zones except the Southern Highland Zone due to financial constraints.

• Training of 214 peer educators from Coast Region and Dar-es-Salaam secondary schools.

• Integration of FLE in the national school curriculum has made FLE examinable at different levels of the education system and has created demand for FLE materials and training in FLE knowledge and skills.

• FLE as an important part of the school curriculum in Tanzania is now considered to be a relevant intervention acceptable to a large majority of Tanzanians ranging from students, teachers, parents, national authorities and the general public.  In this connection there is a lot of encouragement, involvement and commitment of MoEVT, relevant authorities, TIE and UNFPA officials to implementing FLE activities not only in monitoring progress closely but also provision of related support (as per FLE Agreement) for its sustainability.

• UNFPA has provided the financial, technical and other various forms of assistance;

• Collaboration with other partners, GTZ, FCI, RCHS and Save the Children Fund enabled the project to get materials, which were distributed, to schools and TTC e.g. videotapes, posters, leaflets and books.

• Coverage of FLE among in-school youths in all schools and Teachers Colleges, bearing in mind that Tanzania has 21 regions with over 13,000 primary schools, over 1,000 secondary schools and 42 Teachers Training Colleges.

• Development and production of enough training and instructional materials for the respective target groups/levels due to financial constraints.

• Training enough teachers/tutors on FLE knowledge, skills and methodologies for holistic impact;

• Orientation of enough heads of schools who are the immediate supervisors in FLE;

• Size and capacity building of both project staff.

• Carrying out Operational Researches on locality specific population issues;

• Lack of support from school authorities, community and parents;

• FLE being a relatively new subject and the fact that the subject is value laden, the duration set for training of teachers and tutors is based on availability of funds, which is too inadequate to significant bring immediate change of attitude, behaviour and practices among students.

• FLE trained teachers being transferred/assigned other duties or resigning for greener pastures.

• Developing of FLE Modularized Training Manuals which are user friendly in Biology, Geography, Civics and Home Economics;

• Financing training workshops for Peer Educators in FLE;

• Financing training workshops for secondary and primary school teachers;

• Sponsoring community based advocacy/sensitization programmes;

• Financing the printing and production of already developed FLE instructional and IEC materials in sufficient numbers for schools and colleges.

• Financial support for the expansion of FLE in Primary 3-7.

The new curriculum approach require teachers to shift from traditional approach which is teacher centred to learner centred.  The teaching approach need to be participatory so as to tape students' experience and their knowledge base on issues related to population.  Students have to give out solutions on how to solve their own Sexual Health and Environmental problems.
To accomplish this there is need to:

• To conduct peer educators training workshops for secondary and primary schools on Population related issues (Gender, RH, Environment and HIV/AIDs);

• To develop FLE Modularized Training Manuals which are user friendly in all teaching subjects;

• Involve community in advocating for Adolescent behaviour change;

• Prepare, produce and distribute IEC Materials related to Adolescent RH, in sufficient number for schools and colleges;

• Conduct in-service teachers' seminars on FLE Issues in order to equip them with new information.

One of the activities for Tanzania Institute of Education is to review and develop curriculum to suit the demands of the society.  In the year 2005 there was change of curriculum for Primary and Secondary Schools.

The new curriculum approach required teachers to shift from the traditional approach, which was teacher, centered to learner centered.  Through this approach, the teacher could start from what the learner knows.  The approach also allows pupils to develop confidence, become creative and develop their thinking skills.  A teacher is required to facilitate the teaching/learning process and not transmit the knowledge to the pupils.  In the previous approach teachers were regarded as source of all knowledge but due to new technology, pupils sometimes get more informed than teachers.  Teachers need to seek more information before entering into classroom.

Teaching approach should be participatory in order to tape pupils/students knowledge base.  All the time the teacher should ask himself/herself what competence does he/she expect to be performed by his/her pupil/student.  Therefore to build pupils/students competence the teaching/learning ought to be learner centred.

FLE Modularized Training Manuals, which have been developed on Biology, Geography, Civics and Home Economics, are user friendly.  Learners can use the Modules comfortably even in the absence of the teacher/facilitator.  They can use then to discuss freely on issues related to HIV/AIDS, STDs, Population, Enrolment Adolescent Reproductive Health and Family and Family Life.  The objectives used in all Modules are achievable and the expected outcomes can also be monstrated by learners and are measurable.