“Lessons of Life skills education implementation and advocacy in Tanzania”

Group Submission Type: Formal Panel Session

Proposal

Life skills and values have been increasingly gaining attention and interest in education systems globally. Adoption and implementation of life skills education has been happening at varying degrees and for different purposes depending on the political will, level of priority life skills is given. Whether adopted into government policies and curricula or implemented by civil society organizations, values and life skills education also varies in their definition, identification, methods of delivery and modes of assessment (Jaslika 2018).

In Tanzania, one can argue that interest and recognition of the government on the importance of teaching children to develop socio-emotional learning and life skills competencies started with the foundation of post-colonial education in Tanzania and was carried by the philosophy of education for self-determination initiated by the founding father and first president of the Republic of Tanzania, Julius Kambarage Nyerere. This translated in school curricula and programs that provided students with practical, hands on learning activities such as sewing, making handcrafts, farming, etc. More recently, the National Life Skills framework in 2010 was developed with a particular emphasis on intentionally instituting life skills education for combatting the spread of HIV/AIDS and promoting positive adolescent sexual reproductive health and rights. Life skills education is currently embedded into the curriculum and is taught through carrier subjects such as biology and civics. Regardless of when and how it emerged, life skills education experiences a number of challenges and gaps that require closer examination. High stakes academic examinations and the fascination with school and student rankings more than whether students have developed the necessary skills and competencies to become well rounded citizens able to thrive in the world beyond the classroom, point to the need to get a deeper understanding of how life skills education should be delivered, and what truly works in nurturing these skills.

The Values and Life skills Cluster Tanzania (VaLI TZ), a sub-sect of the Regional Education Learning Initiative (RELI) was formed in 2017 and is composed of member organizations working on life skills in different contexts in Tanzania mainland and Zanzibar. The VaLI TZ cluster is composed of member organizations working in life skills and values across Tanzania and implement their programs in varying contexts and modes of delivery. In its effort to promote the importance of life skills education for children and adolescents both in and out of school, VaLI seeks to answer 3 main questions, 1) How are life skills defined and understood in different contexts? 2) What works in nurturing life skills and 3) How are life skills assessed/measured?

This panel of members from VaLI TZ cluster will explore in further depth the second question around lessons and best practices emerging from members working in different contexts, to ultimately shed light on what works in nurturing life skills in the Tanzanian context. The primary objective of the panel is to provide insights into whether or not values and life skills education should be taught as a stand-alone or integrated subject. A major area of contention and confusion around how values and life skills education should be delivered, especially at the national level. A second objective of the panel will be to explore what is common in terms of challenges, approaches, lessons around values and life skills education in different contexts and targeting different groups, whether in or out of school, females, parents or teachers. Finally the panel will seek to establish key takeaways for the audience to take home about values and life skills education and implementation in Tanzania.

The first paper will illustrate how OCODE as well as other members of the VaLI Cluster have been teaching life skills to out of school children and what VaLI TZ sees as the best strategy to strengthen collaboration and coordination amongst the varied landscape of life skills stakeholders.
The second paper will presented by Milele Zanzibar Foundation and will focus on how MZF and other VaLI members and stakeholders in Tanzania approach teacher training, emphasizing on VaLI’s position of ensuring teachers are life skilled, and preferably at the pre-service level, if they are to be able to nurture life skills in their students.
The third paper from Girls Livelihood and Mentorship Initiative, will on focus how best life skills is to be taught to girls in and after school context and how their respective organizations, along with other VaLI members promote life skills to be taught as a stand-alone subject rather than integrated as carrier subjects in the existing curriculum. And the fourth paper will be presented by SAZANI Associate who integrates life skills into their environmental education curriculum and ultimately building environmental awareness, entrepreneurship and global citizenship.

Sub Unit

• General Pool

Chair

• Safia Abdalla, Sazani Trust

Individual Presentations

• Life Skilling of Teachers and the challenge of training teachers in life skills - Ali Bakar Aman, Milele Zanzibar Foundation

• Life skills integration in environmental awareness and global citizenship in Zanzibar - Safia Abdalla, Sazani Trust

Discussant

• Richard Shukia, University of Dar es Salaam