Swiss Centre for International Health

The strategies of the education system in preventing schoolgirl pregnancies

MoEVT - PASHA, Tanzania

By

Benedict Raymond Mangulu

29 July 2010, Blue Pearl Hotel

Dar es Salaam

“Enabling school students to make informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health and

rights!”

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Overview

PASHA approach

Integration into Tanzanian education sector

Educational rationale

Learner-centred materials and methods

Achievements

Way forward

PASHA approach

• School counselling services•School counselors elected by students

•Equal numbers of males and females

•Receive training on basic counselling skills for psycho-social support and SRHR and HIV/AIDS education

•Deliver counselling services to both students and colleagues

•Become facilitators of Peer Educators training

•Offer supervision to peer educators

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PASHA approach

• Peer education•Peer educators elected by students

•Primary schools: grade 5-7 (about 12 -14 years old)

•Secondary schools: grade O-level to A-level (15 -20 years old)

•Ratio: 2 peer educators per 40 students (reality 2 per 80)

•Receive training on SRHR and HIV/AIDS knowledge and facilitation skills

•Conduct peer education sessions twice per week (about 1 hour per session)

•Work close together with school counselors (e.g. sharing experience on implementation)

•Use participatory methodology (learner-centered)

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Integration into Tanzanian education sector

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Swiss TPH

TGPSH

Integration into Tanzanian Education Sector

• MoEVT•PASHA national and regional coordinators are civil servants of

MoEVT

•Close cooperation with departments of primary and secondary

education

•Working closely with units of cross-cutting issues (HIV/AIDS unit,

gender unit, guidance and counselling unit)

•Peer Education materials are approved by EMAC (Education Material

Approval Committee)

• Policy support

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Educational rationale

Constructivist learning theory:

That means: The learner is actively engaged in constructing knowledge

Constructivism emphasizes on two important dimensions:

•Learners actively acquire existing human knowledge (e.g language, cultural wisdom, values, technical skills etc.) as their own system of knowing

•Learners actively construct their own novel ways of knowing in the face of unfamiliar problems

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Educational rationale

Principles of learner-centered learning

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Learner-centered materials and methods

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Learner-centered materials and methods

Shangazi Stella: Learner - centered peer education

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Learner-centered materials and methods

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Achievements

High levels of knowledge (about sexuality and HIV/AIDS) amongst learners

Girls show similar career aspirations as boys

Girls empowerment in general

Positive influences on teenage pregnancy (further studies needed)

Increased knowledge on prevention against communicable diseases such as STI’s and HIV/AIDS.

Schools show high degree of ownership including buy in of communities

Nationwide rollout demanded by parliamentarians

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Way forward

PASHA activities will be integrated in workplan of MoEVT

national rollout as demanded by decision makers and officials of other regions and other key actors (Ruvuma and Iringa have started)

Support to the MoEVT to mobilize and raise funds

Identify and develop strategic partnerships

Developing new and revising existing materials

Documentation of best practices including essential minimal package

Asanteni sana!

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