NEW EDUCATIONAL PACKAGE FOR

SEXUAL & REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH

EDUCATION IN SRI LANKAN
SCHOOLS

Dr. Rasanjalee Hettiarachchi

National Institute of Health
Sciences Kalutara

2005
 Introduction
National survey on Adolescent
SRH(2004) and other SRH surveys
done in Sri Lanka

SRH knowledge, attitudes and

practices
among adolescent children are low
 Aim of SRH Education
• To develop capacity of
adolescents to understand their
sexuality in
Biological
Psychological
Socio-cultural
Reproductive dimensions

To improve their skills in

responsible decisions making &
actions taking regarding SRH
 Objectives
• Toimprove SRH knowledge of teachers to
provide accurate SRH information to students
• Todevelop skills in teaching methods to teach
sensitive issues in SRH
• Todevelop communication skills to discuss SRH
with adolescents
• To advise on teaching materials
• To develop confidence in teaching SRH issues
• To develop competency in SRH language
• Todevelop competency in giving SRH messages
with life skills
 Methodology
Study design
Quasi-experimental study with comparable
control group
Study area – Kalutara district
Intervention area Control area
Kalutara educational Horana educational
zone zone

Study
31 population
schools 30 schools
1.Health and Physical Education teachers
31 teachers 30 teachers
2.Grade nine school Children
466 students 448 students
 Five phases
Phase I – Situational analysis of existing
status of SRH education

Phase II – SWOT analysis of phase I results

Phase III – Development of a new

educational package

Phase IV – Implementation of the

package

Phase V – Evaluation of effectiveness

of the package
 Phase I
• Focus group discussions
• Informal interviews with SRH experts
• Review documents and literature on SRH
Education
• Assess basic facilities available in
schools to teach SRH
• Assess pre intervention SRH knowledge
and attitudes of teachers and students
 Findings in phase I
Students’ opinions on SRH
education
• School teacher is the best person to
discuss SRH issues
• Teacher should be knowledgeable
• Practical SRH problems should be
discussed
• Should have good teacher-student
relationship to discuss SRH issues
Cont…………
• Teacher should think on adolescents
point of view
• Teacher should feel adolescents
behavioural changes
• SRH should be taught step by step
from the grade six onwards
• Teacher should help students to solve
SRH problems
• Teacher should desensitize students
by giving scientific explanations on
SRH problems
Phase II - SWOT analysis
Strengths
Principals, master teachers, teachers,
children, parents and SRH experts think
that school is the most appropriate place
for SRH education
Students are curious to learn about SRH
issues
Students like to learn SRH issues from
teachers
SRH component was already included in to
the school curriculum
 Weaknesses
• Ill prepared teachers for SRH teaching in schools
• Lack of teaching/learning materials
• No teachers’ guide for SRH teaching
• Inadequate time allocated for SRH education in
schools
• Lack of support/ objections from some principals
and other staff
SRH information presented in the existing school
text books was not explained properly
Existing teacher training programmes on SRH were
not focused on developing SRH teaching skills
 Opportunities
• Funding bodies (WHO, UNFPA, UNICEF,
Plan Sri Lanka etc.) promote adolescent
SRH education

• Most of the parents preferred that the

school take responsibility for SRH
education
 
• Annual seminars on SRH are conducted
by the Ministry of Education regularly
 Threats
In Sri Lankan culture SRH issues are not discussed
openly
Inadequate number of teachers to teach SRH
The SRH lessons in the grade nine text book are last,
therefore, not teach due to time constraints
According to teachers and parents the media give
misleading messages about SRH
Some parents do not like to discuss SRH issues with
their children.
Some parents did not appreciate the importance of SRH
education in schools.
 Phase III – Development
of new educational
package
• Identified important topics to be
discussed in the teacher training
workshop
• Prepared trainers’ manual to conduct
teacher training workshop
• Prepared teachers’ guide to teach
SRH component in school curriculum
• Plan and organize five days teacher
training workshop
 Phase IV – Conduct teacher
training workshop
Venue - National Institute of Health
Sciences, Kalutara

Participants – 31 Health and Physical

Education teachers from
Kalutara educational
zone

Duration – Five days

 Principals followed
Emphasis on
• the depth of knowledge a teacher
should possess
• skills needed to teach sensitive issues
• develop positive attitudes towards SRH
teaching
• develop good teacher-student
relationship to discuss SRH issues
• prepare teachers
* Emotionally
* Socially
* Content wise to teach SRH
 Important Topics on SRH
Physical, Psychological and
behavioural changes during
adolescent period

Conception and pregnancy

Danger in teenage pregnancy

Child abuse

Sexually Transmitted Infections

Personal hygiene in reproductive

 Components of the teacher
training workshop
Introduction to training workshop
Video presentation on adolescents’
views on ASRH education
Group work and discussions on –
 Importance of SRH teaching in schools
 Case studies on practical SRH problems
 Experience of the participants in SRH
teaching
Cont……
• Activity to recall participants
adolescent period and SRH problems
faced
• Lecture-discussions on SRH topics (by
using CD in SRH)
• Lecture-Discussion/Group work on
how to prepare lesson plans to teach
SRH in schools
• Lecture discussion and role plays on
communication skills
Cont….
•Group work to develop teacher-student
relationship with maintaining respect
when discussing SRH issues
•Videopresentation on how to conduct
SRH teaching session with confident
•Micro teaching sessions to assess
participants teaching skills
•Evaluate
success of the teacher-training
workshop by using evaluation sheet
 Check list to evaluate teaching
skills
Supervisory Standar Yes No Marks
variables d marks Obtaine
1 Clarity and d
relevancy of
lesson objectives
2 Initiation of the
session
3 Teacher’s
preparation for
the session
4 Accuracy and
completeness of
the content
5 Time
management
 Supervisory Standar Yes No Marks
variables d marks Obtaine
d
5 Confidence and clear
in presentation

6 Appropriateness of
teaching-learning
materials used
7 Appropriateness of
teaching methods
used
8 Teacher – student
relationship
9 Overall management
of the class
1 Ending of the session
 Health Messages & life
skills
1. Physical changes
↑ Weight & Height
Enlargement of sexual organs &
breast
* Different sizes of same age children,
slight difference in left & right is
normal
• Produce secretions from sexual
organs
* Need personal hygiene of genital
area
Cont….
• Irregular menstruation in
early ages
• Nocturnal emission
• Increase perspiration
• Acne
* Normal
* Improve personal hygiene
2. Psychological changes

Sexual feelings -
* Due to secretion of sexual hormone
*Should control -Engage in extra curricula
activities – sports, reading, gardening,
household activities
Mood changing – *Normal → should
understand
Attraction to opposite sex – Improve
decision making skills and cope with
emotions
3. Behavioral changes
• Be in peer groups
• Do experiments
• Love affairs
• Masturbation
• Homosexuality
* Develop life skills
 self awareness

 effective communication
skills
 decision making skills

 cope with emotions

 Phase V
After the teacher training programm
teachers taught SRH lessons in schools
Evaluate effectiveness of the teacher
training workshop
Assessed post intervention SRH
knowledge and attitudes among
teachers and students
2. Compared the pre and post intervention
SRH knowledge and attitudes among
teachers and students
3. Assessed post intervention teaching
skills of teachers
 Summary of the results
Teacher Student
Knowledge Mean (SD) P value Mean (SD) P value
Int. group 17.8 (9.1) – 0.7946 14.6(12.2) 0.0001
Pre-post 20.0 (9.5) –
26.5(13.6)
Ctr. Group 18.5 (12.3) – 0.8901 15.6(13.2) 0.0997
Pre-post 19. 4 (12.0) –
21.8(12.9)
Attitudes
Int. group 9.7 – 30.1 0.001 4.7 - 8.4 0.049
Pre-post
Ctr. Group 14.3 -31.0 0.013 2.0 – 3.1 0.450
Pre-post
Teaching
skills
In-Ctr grs 83.0 (20.3)- 0.002
Post-post 58.8 (33.1)
 Conclusion
• Ill prepared teacher is the main barrier for
SRH education in schools
 Non availability of teaching-learning
materials
 In adequate number of teachers to teach
SRH in schools
 Inadequate time allocated for SRH
teaching were also negatively effected for
SRH education
After the intervention improved SRH
knowledge among students in the
intervention groups
Post intervention teaching skills of the
 Recommendations
• SRH education should identified as a priority
area in school education
• Adequate time should be allocated for SRH
teaching in schools
• SRH teaching-learning materials should be
developed and distribute
• Teacher-training programme should be
conducted with special emphasis on developing
teaching skills to discuss sensitive issues
• Regular supervision on SRH teaching session
should be done by master teachers
• Should evaluate effectiveness of the training
program
 Summary
Components of the New educational package
• Develop trainers’ manual to conduct teacher
training pogramme

• Conduct teacher- training on SRH education

• Develop teachers’ guide in SRH teaching

• Teaching SRH in schools by trained Health

and Physical education teachers

• Evaluate SRH teaching by master teachers

 Acknowledgement
Supervisors
• Prof. S. Sivayogan
• Dr. A.S.P. Gnanissara
Resource personnel
• Family Health Bureau
• National Institute of Health Sciences
• National Institute of Education
• Ministry of Education
School principals
Data collectors (Master teachers and PHNS)
Participants (Teachers and students)