Review of the Health and Family Life Education Curricula Consultancy

Terms of Reference

Background

Concerns for the status of family life and adolescent sexuality were expressed as early as 1958. By 1962, a joint health and education committee had been established by the Ministry of Education to formulate a response and develop basic material. A Personal Development curriculum developed in the late 1970s served as the basis for the curriculum developed between 1983-1985 for the primary and secondary levels of the system.

As the problems relating to family life seemed to escalate and more agencies began to offer school-based interventions, a policy for Family Life Education was formulated in 1993 with the strong support of the Planning Institute of Jamaica.

In 1997, the Ministry of Education, Youth & Culture (MOEYC), formally recognised the terminology “Health and Family Life”, acknowledging the direct link between health and education in promoting student and community wellness. The National Health and Family Life (HFLE) Policy seeks to guide policy-makers and programme implementers into effective programme development with specific guidelines for conceptualising HFLE, standardising the delivery of HFLE and the development of HFLE materials. The Health and Family Life policy formulated in 1994 was partially revised in 1999.

The MOEYC, in an effort to confront the reality of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, considered that the Health and Family Life programme was the logical vehicle through which this issue could be addressed in the Jamaican education system.

In 1994, the Caribbean Community Standing Committee of Ministers of Education passed a resolution supporting the development of a comprehensive approach to HFLE by the Caricom Community (CARICOM) and the University of the West Indies (UWI). This commitment gave rise to the CARICOM Multi-Agency HFLE Project.

Objectives of the project are:

• To develop policy, including advocacy and funding, for the overall strengthening of HFLE in and out of schools.

• To strengthen the capacity of teachers to deliver HFLE programmes.

• To develop comprehensive life skills-based teaching materials.

• To improve co-ordination among all the agencies at the regional and national levels in the area of HFLE.

Health and Family Life is a curriculum initiative that not only reinforces the connection between health and education, but also uses a holistic approach within a planned and co-ordinated framework. It is a comprehensive, life skills-based programme, which focuses on the development of the whole, resilient person.

HFLE seeks to:

• Enhance the potential of young persons to become productive and contributing adults/persons.

• Promote an understanding of the principles that underlie personal and social well-being.

• Foster the development of knowledge, skills and attitudes that make for healthy family life.

• Provide opportunities to demonstrate sound, health-related knowledge, attitudes and practices.

• Increase the ability to practice responsible decision-making about social and sexual behaviour.

• Increase the knowledge and practice of life skills in the management of their lives.

Regional framework

The regional framework focuses on life skills under four theme: Sex and Sexuality, Self and Interpersonal Relations, Eating and Fitness and Managing the Environment. Critical to this framework is the inclusion of the social and interpersonal skills, such as communication, refusal, assertiveness and empathy skills; the cognitive skills, such as decision-making, critical thinking and self evaluation skills; the emotional coping skills such as stress management and skills for increasing internal locus of control; the communication skills such as verbal and non-verbal communication, refusal, negotiation and conflict management, advocacy, and relationship building skills; and the values analysis and clarification skills such as skills for understanding different norms, beliefs, cultures, etc, and self-assessment skills for identifying what’s important, influences on values and attitudes, and aligning values, attitudes and behaviours.

Goals and objectives

The goal of the consultancy is to:

Align the existing primary scope and sequence and secondary HFLE curriculum with the life skills-based regional framework using the four themes — Sex and Sexuality, Self and Interpersonal Relations, Eating and Fitness and Managing the Environment in preparation for implementation in select schools in September.

Scope of work

1. Assess the primary level HFLE Scope and Sequence (Grades 1-6) against the regional framework under the themes mentioned above for the life skills component.

2. Assess the secondary HFLE Curriculum (Grades 6-9) against the regional framework under the themes mentioned above for the life skills component.

3. Revise the primary level HFLE Scope and Sequence (Grades 1-6) to include life skills based on the above-mentioned themes.

4. Revise the secondary level HFLE curriculum (Grades 7-9) to include life skills, based on the above-mentioned themes.

Deliverables

A comprehensive work plan outlining in detail the process that will be used to execute the assignment.

An interim report indicating the existing skills present under the above mentioned themes.

A draft, revised primary level HFLE Scope and Sequence (Grades 1-6) against the regional framework, initially under the first two themes, Sex and Sexuality, Self and Interpersonal Relations, incorporating relevant life skills.

A draft, revised secondary level HFLE curriculum (Grades 7-9) against the regional framework initially under the first two themes, Sex and Sexuality, Self and Interpersonal Relations, incorporating relevant life skills.

A draft, revised primary level HFLE Scope and Sequence (Grades 1-6) against the regional framework under the last two themes, Eating and Fitness and Managing the Environment, incorporating relevant life skills.

A draft revised secondary level HFLE curriculum (Grades 7-9) against the regional framework under the last two themes, Eating and Fitness and Managing the Environment, incorporating relevant life skills.

Qualifications

The consultant should have the following qualifications/skills:

• A (post-graduate) degree in education or the social sciences.

• Technical competence in the educational sector.

• Training and /or experience in Health and Family Life.

• Minimum three years experience in curriculum development.

• Possess analytical skills and expertise in skills-based curriculum material design.

• Project Management skills.

Duration

The consultant is expected to prepare an indicative work plan outlining in detail the proposed schedule of activities and duration of each task. The overall duration of this assignment, however, should not exceed a period of five weeks from the date of signing the contract.