ABSTRACT
One of the most important objectives of education is the socialization of the individual. The school is a socializing agency, while curriculum is a tool used to address emerging concerns of society hence constant effort is needed to make this tool useful and to evaluate its effectiveness. Kenyan children face challenges that include gender bias, early sexual debut, drug and substance abuse, rape and exposure to Human Immunodeficiency Virus leading to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. Introduction of pre-primary school Life skills curriculum could help address some of these challenges. The purpose of this study was to investigate why pre-primary school life skills curriculum was introduced and to determine the factors that have influenced its implementation. This study was conducted in Ainamoi Division of Kericho County. Ainamoi Division was purposively sampled for the study since the region has high incidence of child abuse, child labour, early pregnancies and dysfunctional families, while pre-primary schools were randomly sampled. During the study questionnaires were administered to 47 pre- primary school teachers, while two officers in charge of life skills curriculum at Kenya Institute of Education and Ministry of Education officials in charge of Curriculum implementation were interviewed by the researcher. The study used document analysis, interviews and questionnaires as research instruments. The study employed a descriptive survey research design. Qualitative data was analysed using thematic approach, whereby each objective under study was described in relation to the categories of responses given. Descriptive statistics involving frequencies, means and percentages were used to analyse data. Qualitative data was analysed using Statistical Packages for Social Sciences. Results from the study found that both needs assessment and piloting were not carried out before implementing this curriculum, the objectives of pre- primary school life skills curriculum are clear to majority of the teachers and that the curriculum meets the needs of the learners. Although teachers have a positive attitude towards implementation, the study found out that 83% were not involved in the curriculum development process while only 38.3% were aware of the curriculum through their ongoing self upgrading courses. It was also revealed that majority of school administrators support the implementation of life skills, however they lack teaching and learning resources to support effective implementation of the program. The study concludes that some of the reasons why life skills curriculum was introduced are; life skills inculcate moral values among children at an early age, that it was due to realization that children lack basic values and skills as they leave ECDE, to provide them with protective skills in response to every day challenges and to enable them to be responsible in making appropriate choices on issues affecting safety and related aspects. The study recommends that the teaching of pre- primary school life skills should be enhanced through providing seminars, workshops and teaching/learning resources to the classroom teachers to enrich their knowledge and teaching approaches. It is also necessary for both the Ministry of Education and Kenya Institute of Education to carry out an evaluation on implementation of pre-primary school life skills syllabus so that available gaps may be filled and improvements made.
CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study
The need to focus on life skills as a critical response to the challenges facing young children today has found expression in international declarations such as the Convention of the Rights of the Child (CRC, 1989), Education For All (EFA, 1990) and the United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS, 2001). In June 2001, heads of state and government representatives met for the UNGASS on HIV/AIDS and this resulted in the issuance of a declaration of commitment. One of the commitments was to ensure that by 2005, at least 90% and by 2010 at least 95% of young men and women have access to information, education, including peer education and youth- specific HIV education. Provision of Services necessary to develop life skills required to reduce vulnerability to HIV infection, in full partnership with young persons, parents, educators and health care providers was part of the targets (UNGASS Declaration of commitment, 2001). This declaration called for a need to expanded access to information and education as a means of combating HIV/Aids. Through the introduction of life skills curriculum, Countries and policy makers hope that learners, teachers and the communities would develop appropriate responses to confront the HIV/AIDS crisis, among other advantages of having life skills knowledge.
The 1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of child (CRC, 1989), linked life skills to education by stating that education should be directed towards the development
of the child‟s fullest potential. CRC reaffirms the fact that children, because of their vulnerability, need special care protection, and assistance. All these point to the need to empower children through incorporating the teaching of life skills in early childhood Education. The 1990 Jomtiem Declaration on Education for All (EFA) cites life skills as an essential learning tool for survival, capacity development and quality of life. This was further reinforced by the 2000 Dakar World Education Forum which stated that all young people and adults have the human right to benefit from an education that includes learning to know, to do, to live together this means that implementation of life skills is critical to the attainment of the EFA Goals.
Schooling is understood to be a powerful factor which steers the acquisition of moral values. According to Straugham (1982) modern society is becoming increasingly lawless, violent, indiscipline, and permissive especially among the youth. Further, there is a general decline in respect to authority, politeness and good manners. Teachers are not doing enough to impart the right values to children to ensure that their behavior is socially acceptable. The situation in Kenya is not different considering the widespread use of television and access to internet. Hence the introduction of life skills curriculum is envisaged to help children adjust and function appropriately in a dynamic social context.
Developed countries have taken a lead in institutionalization of programs to teach life skills education. In the United States of America and other Countries in Europe, the programs have been identified to be successful due to inclusion of United States Agency for International Development (UNAIDS) benchmarks in their curriculum (UNAIDS, 1997).
In Botswana, the MoE has infused life skills across the curriculum in secondary school subjects such as Developmental Studies, Biology, Religious Education, Integrated Science and Social Studies especially focusing on the guidance and Counseling program to work on skills development (Molobe et al. 1999).
A report by the World Bank (2002) underscored the need to start educating people at an early age across the broader spectrum of the population in a bid to impart life skills and combat the spread of HIV/AIDS. Following the World Bank report and subsequent studies on social economic impact of HIV/AIDS, countries such as South Africa, Malawi and Zimbabwe have introduced teaching of life skills education in their school curriculum. The role of Life Skills Education (LSE) in preparing young people to respond to HIV pandemic is crucial at two levels. First, the young people need to keep themselves healthy as individuals. Secondly, since the young people are part and parcel of society, they should be taught (LSE) to give the necessary skills and abilities to cope with HIV/AIDS pandemic to avoid social stigma and stress. Research, especially in the developing countries, shows that lack of LSE and the presence of social stigma on HIV/AIDS patients contribute to the spread of HIV/AIDS infections (USAID, 2003, p. 32).
There are many challenges facing children as a result of the fast changing world. These include among others, negative peer pressure, gender bias, early marriages, kidnapping, trafficking, poverty, early sexual debut, substance abuse, rape, Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome( HIV/AIDS) pandemic and all other forms of child neglect occasioned by dysfunctional families (KIE, 2002). It is against this
background that United Nations International Children‟s Fund (UNICEF) partnering with the government of Kenya recommended the introduction of life skills curriculum from pre-primary school, through high school, and to teacher training colleges. The challenges facing children are compounded by factors such as; the complex developmental changes during adolescence which at times can be overwhelming; lack of positive role models; negative mass media influences; inadequate, inaccurate and unreliable sources of information on human sexuality (KIE, 2002). A combination of these problems renders the children vulnerable to health risks such as HIV infection and other related sexually transmitted diseases (KIE, 2002).
Although research findings, declarations at conferences, workshops and others stress the importance of life skills in Kenya, the rapid expansion of Early Childhood Education may bring to surface other challenges associated with implementation of a new curriculum. This research therefore determined whether the implementation of life skills curriculum has been realised in pre-primary schools in Ainamoi Division of Kericho County.
The life skills curriculum aims at equipping learners with psychosocial competencies that would help them make informed decisions, solve problems, think creatively, and communicate effectively. It also enables children to build healthy relationships, empathize with those in need and manage his/her life in a healthy and productive manner. It entails a comprehensive behaviour change approach that concentrates on the development of the psychosocial skills needed for life, (KIE, 2008). The course is designed to promote children‟s overall growth and development, thus enabling them makes appropriate choices that enhance academic performance. It helps children deal
with the issues that are likely to be distracters in their learning. Life skills offer an opportunity to realize good discipline which is the pillar to success in education and in life. This study was designed to investigate the factors influencing implementation of pre- primary school life skills curriculum.
