as they grow to be adults
and parents.
Personal Development
begins in grade 6 and continues to grade 12 with skills, values and knowledge
that match those of highly educated parents. Most students have no such
experience in the home.
Children in grade 6 are
11 to 13 years old and starting to mature physically and psychologically. Grade
12 students can be 18-20 years old and some married with children.
The Personal Development course focuses on family rights,
responsibilities and needs. Students consider the rights and responsibilities
of parents free from violence and abuse but with love, caring, respect and
faith.
The course tends to
be repetitive from grade 6 to 12. But certain values and information have to be
repeated and expanded year by year. Children grow within the course.
In the lower grades,
there tends to be emphasis on adolescence and the growing responsibilities of
children as they move to be young adults. Focus is on the physiological changes
of boys and girls with growing interest in the opposite sex.
Students consider the
role of families from those of married couples, single parents and blended
families. There is no emphasis on same sex families as these are generally
unknown on this country.
As students move to
high school, the family focus remains with growing emphasis on reproduction,
sexual rights and responsibilities, contraception, abortion, HIV/AIDS and other
STIs.
Students examine the
need to choose a spouse wisely, to start and build a relationship and to break
up if necessary with courtesy and dignity and no sense of revenge and violence.
Students expand their horizons from nuclear to extended
families, clans, community, church and society. They see their place as role
models in family, school, church, community and sport.
They open their
horizons by examining the Christian, Moslem, Buddhist and Hindu faiths. They
see similarities as well as common strengths and weaknesses.
Most important for all
ages is awareness of stranger danger and the threat of paedophile men and women
who will groom, snatch, rape, torture, fist, traffic and kill young children
and older young men and women. Sex abuse in families is discussed.
The students need to
understand the protection they may need from parents, brothers and other men
and women in the extended family.
They need to understand the dangers
to young boys and girls of being sex workers and risking abuse, violence and
infection with HIV/AIDS.
The Personal
Development Course must not be theoretical and easily forgotten in later years.
It must provide practical values, attitudes and knowledge that stay with
students all their lives.
What treatment should a
raped girl have? She should have antiretroviral treatment within 60 hours as a
safeguard if the man is HIV positive.
What should a women or
girl do when she finds she is pregnant? If tested positive, she should have antiretroviral drugs taken before birth of the child, during
breast feeding and for the rest of her life. The baby can be infected on passage through the birth canal.
Young couples must have
the friendship and caring of both families who give protection and support and
receive support for the older family members and those loved ones disabled.
On the way through, the
students will recognize misinformation from the corrupt advocacy groups on sex
and violence.
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