The Khomas Region Secondary School Life Skills Teachers’ Perception Of Their Roles And Responsibilities With Regard To Learners Development

ABSTRACT

In this study, the perception of secondary school Life Skills teachers in Khomas

Region regarding their roles and responsibilities to promote learners’ development

was investigated. After independence the government wanted to bring equality in

education as seen in the introduction of a policy document: “Towards education for

all: A development brief of education, culture and training.” In this document the

government clearly states “… to provide education for all, we must expand access to

our education system. For that, we need not just more schools but other educational

programmes where learning is accessible to all Namibian learners”. As a result,

more educational programmes were introduced. Guidance and counselling was one

of these educational programmes extended to all schools since 1994 through the

Directorate of Special Education.

To implement the programme, each of the seven educational regions was provided

with two professionally trained school counsellors. The regional counsellors were

tasked with Life Skills teachers’ training in basic counselling skills and

psychometric test administration as one of their duties. Against this background,

this study was conducted to investigate the Life Skills programmes in secondary

schools in the Khomas Region from the teachers’ perspective, delving on teachers’

understanding of their guiding and counselling roles regarding learners’

development.

A questionnaire was administered to a sample of 22 schools with 55 participants.

Some of the major findings based on the Life Skills teachers’ perceptions were as

follows;

· Life Skills teachers carried out various roles and responsibilities under the

identified four broad categories; namely, personal, educational, social and

vocational development. An overwhelming majority of the respondents

regarded it as being important or very important for them to carry out

their roles and responsibilities to promote positive learners’ development.

· The study further showed that the majority of the respondents felt

competent enough to teach Life Skills.

· The vast majority of the Life Skills teachers concurred that they are also

faced with the following multiple obstacles which are a hindrance in the

smooth running of this valuable programme;

 Lack of well equipped counselling rooms.

 Inadequate Life Skills periods as a result of prioritisation of

promotional subjects.

 Lack of interest in the programme on the part of stakeholder’s e.g.

fellow teachers, learners and parents.

 Minimal support on implementation of this programme.

 Insufficient in-service training.

It is imperative that the Ministry of Education takes note of these findings and use

them to develop and implement guidelines regarding effective guidance and

counselling programmes in all schools.