Life skills education in HIV prevention among adolescents in Botswana: an evaluation of the Botswana life skills curriculum

Abstract

Ministry of Education and Skills Development (MoESD) in Botswana introduced Life Skills Education program in 2002 with the intention to empower children with appropriate information and skills to deal with social and health problems affecting the nation including the fight against Human Immuno Virus (HIV) infections. The aim of this study is to evaluate the Botswana Life Skills Curriculum to assess its impact on HIV and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) prevention amongst adolescents. The study makes use of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) 2012 evaluation framework which was commissioned in 2012. Documentary research methodology is used as an approach to address the objectives of the study. Findings from the analysis reveal that, the Botswana Life Skills curriculum proves to be relevant to learners as this has been confirmed by available literature and reports from teachers and school administrators. However, coverage seems to be difficult to achieve as, the Life Skills Education (LSE) curriculum has the tendency to be squeezed in to the already crowded curricula thus giving it less attention than required. Significant gaps have been identified with regards to monitoring and evaluation. Thus it is recommended that Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Systems be strengthened so that outcomes can be measured. Finally the study recommends that, LSE be given a slot in the time table and be taught as a separate topic to ensure it is taken seriously by both teachers and learners