Education Minister Shaik Baksh has said the Health and Family Life Education (HFLE) programme will be introduced in more schools, as the ministry takes steps to equip students to deal with social challenges.
UNICEF Resident Representative Dr Suleiman Braimoh
He made this announcement on Monday, August 22 at the opening of a one-day training workshop on the effective implementation of the HFLE programme in schools. The programme is currently being offered in 30 schools.
The training targeted 40 teachers throughout the country, and was organised by the Education Ministry in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The HLFE programme is a timetabled subject geared to provide students with useful tips on healthy lifestyle practices and the importance of leading disciplined and productive lives.
The training is a follow-up to a similar initiative held last year at the Regency Suites hotel on Hadfield Street, Georgetown, in which 30 teachers were trained. The teachers are expected to train colleagues in their respective regions on methods to effectively deliver the programme.
Strengthening students
Teachers were urged to put into practice the knowledge they received so as to positively shape the social, moral and ethical values in society. Minister 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.
He 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 ministry has established an HFLE Unit, headed by a coordinator, with support staff to oversee the successful implementation of the programme in schools. Baksh has said that the teachers will be required to submit quarterly status reports of their respective regions to this HFLE Unit.
The HFLE Unit is one of several units established by Minister Baksh to address challenges in a number of specialised areas in education.
Baksh declared that an investment in youth is an investment in the future. He noted that these units have been created not only to ensure that students receive a sound education, but also to develop in them the right mindset to be meaningful contributors to society. As part of the Teacher Education Reform programme, the HFLE programme is taught at the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE), but not as an examinable subject.
In an effort to ensure the widespread implementation of the programme, Baksh is urging the CPCE to host workshops for teachers in the school system during the July/August holidays.
UNICEF Resident Representative Dr Suleiman Braimoh said the workshop presents unique opportunity for the teachers to set a strong foundation for the creation of a stable society for generations to come. The principal officer coordinating collaborative activities between the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Guyana HIV/AIDS Reduction & Prevention Project (GHARP), Dr Olufemi Owoeye, said children are the future of the country. Dr Owoeye praised Guyana for taking steps to ensure that the future of its children is secure.
