ADOLESCENT EDUCATION: AN INSPIRING SUCCESS STORY FROM VOCATIONAL HIGHER SECONDARY SCHOOLS OF KERALA

[BEST PRACTICE DOCUMENTATION UNIT OF KSACS]

ADOLESCENT EDUCATION: AN INSPIRING SUCCESS STORY FROM VOCATIONAL
HIGHER SECONDARY SCHOOLS OF KERALA

The reciprocal teamwork of Kerala State AIDS Control Society (KSACS)
and the Directorate of Vocational Higher Secondary Education (DVHSE)
have reaped awful success in adolescent education and life skill
promotion among young people in the age group of 15 -18, empowering
them to lead a worthy life. There is a crying need for adolescent
education across the country. Experts are in search of age appropriate
ways and means to implement a programme that suits our tradition,
culture and ethos. The Adolescent Education Programme in Vocational
Higher Secondary Schools (VHSS) through the National Service Scheme
(NSS) is a replicable model for others.

A Study conducted by the Population Council among 40000 youth found
that 8% of the youth are prone to risky behavior largely on account of
peer pressure or because of the environmental factors. Although 92 %
of the youth do not indulge in risky behavior, we cannot categorize
the remaining eight percent are and hence appropriate intervention is
needed among all the young population. There are several reasons for
this risky behavior of youngsters that include the breakage of joint
family system and the emergence of nuclear families, where the
opportunity to ventilate the inner feelings of an adolescent member is
less. Engrossment of commercialism to the society is another factor
that turns everything into objects, images, and services, sold for the
purpose of generating profit. This generates the tendency for
intangible things such as happiness, beauty, or health to be given a
monetary value or to be spoken of as commodities. Invasion of
information technology and its abuse is another factor that inversely
affects the behaviour of youngsters.

Though no significant studies have been conducted yet, several
incidences of risky behaviour, sexual harassment and abuse of
adolescent girls and boys has been reported in recent years from
Kerala. The suicidal death of three girls due to sexual harassment by
their peers at a coastal higher secondary school of Alappuzha District
is a recent example. The incidence motivated the Directorate of
Vocational Higher Secondary Education (DVHSE) to accept the offer of
technical and financial support by KSACS and undertake possible life-
skill education programmes and counseling services to children
studying in higher secondary classes.

There are 389 Vocational Higher Secondary Schools having a strength of
33000 students under the DVHSE. Of this, 230 schools have National
Service Scheme Units having a strength of 22700 Volunteers. KSACS
effectively utilized this institutional set-up at its best for
mainstreaming the HIV/AIDS prevention, care and support programmes.

The Programme covered all students studying in the vocational higher
secondary schools with adolescent education and HIV awareness classes.
The programme produced 1200 trained peer leaders among these students,
i.e., a minimum of five peer leaders in each school. They are now
actively engaged in the process of improving their peers’ awareness on
adolescent development and STI/RTI/HIV/AIDS. They promote peer support
to their colleagues to cope with storm and stress situations they face
at the juncture of adolescence. They also work towards prevention of
drug and alcohol abuse in their schools through positive reinforcement
and life skill development. The programme also generate positive
attitude on voluntary blood donation among the students, who will turn
into donors of tomorrow. The Programme sensitized the members of
Parent Teacher Associations in all the schools on the issue and the
scope of programme before commencing it. KSACS supported the programme
by supplying resources that include sufficient number of IEC
materials.

The programme could develop 30 state-level resource persons and 240
school level resource persons for the adolescent education programmes
aiming life-skill development and HIV/AIDS prevention. For this, a
series of training programmes at various levels were conducted by the
mainstreaming division of KSACS. The presence of these trained
resource persons and the peer educators ensure the sustainability and
efficacy of the programme. The programme can be continued in the
coming years with minimal investment for the training of peer
leaders.

The effective implementation of the programme was monitored by a
committee consisting of the Project Director-KSACS, Director-VHSE, NSS
State Programme Coordinator for VHSE and other officials from both the
institutions at State level. At school level it was done by the
Planning, Implementing, and Monitoring Committee (PIMC) constituted
with the nominated representatives of PTA, PRIs, Social Workers of the
area, NSS Programme Officer, School Principal, etc.

It is evident that the programme is a great success in providing value
based life skill education and RTI/STI/HIV awareness among adolescent
boys and girls, without hurting the tradition, culture and ethos of
the Society. This is a replicable proven model to work among
youngsters, especially among the adolescent population. It will
certainly contribute the efforts of the State in preventing HIV among
youngsters without hurting the cultural values and ethos of the
society.

--
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BEST PRACTICE DOCUMENTATION UNIT
IEC DIVISION, KERALA STATE AIDS CONTROL SOCIETY
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, KERALA
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Management Support by:
Hindustan Latex Family Planning Promotion Trust (HLFPPT)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------