EDUCATION Minister Shaik Baksh has announced that several other secondary schools across the country will see the implementation of the Health and Family Life Education (HFLE) programmes in their curriculum.

He said it is being done with an aim of allowing students the opportunity of getting the requisite knowledge and skills needed to deal, appropriately, with social challenges in society.

Baksh said greater attention is being placed on strengthening the programme, as the ministry seeks to have disciplined and well-informed students in the school system, a drive that will enhance national development.

He also pointed out that, while the ministry is making a concerted effort in this regard, parents have an important role to play in instilling in their children sound moral and ethical values.

The minister added that teachers will be required to submit quarterly status reports, which will be monitored to ensure that plans are going as required.
Minister Baksh said an investment in youth is an investment in the future and noted that these units have been created to not only ensure that students receive a sound education but also have the right mindset to be meaningful contributors in society.

He believes that this development will promote safe, positive and acceptable behaviours in schools and address students’ indisciplined behaviour in a more holistic way.

The minister is spot-on and the initiative is an excellent and commendable one because today’s world is becoming increasingly complex and, therefore, life skills have become an imperative for children to be able to deal with these increasingly delicate challenges.
In any case, true education is not only about the imparting of knowledge and academic development; rather it is the preparation and equipping of children/students for the challenges of life.
Former Education Minister Dr. Dale Bisnauth summed it up well when he declared: “Education is preparation for life.”
Vincent Lovell in his article, ‘Opinion Health & Family Life Education can make a difference’ puts it succinctly: “I see children fooling their parents about their true behaviour and getting away with it. One can liken what children face today to some dangerous enemy that we need to engage in combat. Like any dangerous enemy, there needs to be an appropriate and comprehensive plan of action to tackle the enemy. Everyone engaged in the fight must be clear on the goals and objectives. They need to know what they are up against. We need to prepare our young people for the future and the survival of our society, since they are the future and the survival of our society depends on them.”
He adds: “Where I am employed, I see the problems that so many of our children face and the inappropriate methods that they utilise to solve them. They are actually trying to solve these problems or challenges, just that many of the methods that they employ are not beneficial to them.”
Now that there is commitment to this life skills training programme, it is most important to ensure that its implementation is expeditious and is managed and supervised well because, too often in Guyana,  many wonderful programmes and initiatives which have the most noble and laudable objectives and goals fall on the wayside because of poor supervision and management.
In this regard, it is encouraging to see that a special HFLE Unit has been established and there are provisions to train teachers with the requisite skills who will be dealing with the programme.