CBCI COMMISSION FOR THE FAMILY ‘ Family Life Education Programme Planning and Implementatio
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CBCI COMMISSION FOR THE FAMILY
‘ Family Life Education Programme
Planning and Implementatio - extracted text
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CBCI COMMISSION FOR THE FAMILY
‘ Family Life Education Programme
IN
INDIA
Ksport on
Planning and Implementation
NATIONAL SECRETARIAT
21, Museum Road, Bangalore-560 025
CBCI COMMISSION FOR THE FAMILY
Family Life Education Programme
IN
INDIA
COMMUNITY HEALTH CELL
326, V Main. I Black
Koram, ng-ila
Bangalore-560934
India
Report on
Planning and Implementation
NATIONAL SECRETARIAT
21, Museum Road, Bangalore-560 025
CONTENTS
Page No.
The need for, and concept of, family life education
1
Planning the course
. .
5
Implementation of the programme
...
17
a.
The handbooks
...
17
b.
The in-service training
...
19
c.
The pre-service training
... 22
Evaluation
... 24
Epilogue
... 27
Fir .r;
w
INTRODUCTION
Though the following pages are essentially a report
on the planning and implementation of a family life
education programme for high school students of the 8th,
9th and 10th standard and for working youth who are
close to marriage, they also aim at creating a better
understanding
and
apppreciation of the need for, and
concept of, family life education and of the manner in
which such knowledge is imparted to specific target
groups.
Few people have had the opportunity of learning what
family life education is and many have still to be convinced
of its importance.
A way of making up for such
deficiencies is to make them aware of the detailed
planning and implementation of such a programme. They
may find in such a report answers to many questions.
First the reader is given an insight into the origin
if family life education as an independent discipline and
rto the the needs that spurred its development.
Since
similar movement is taking place in India, family life
Icucation is shown to be not just a foreign import, but
response to particular development in the
Indian
ujation.
Then the principles and methods of planning and
dfucting the course are explained
Though the content
-hie course is drawn from a wide range of different
-icces and disciplines, a common perspective binds all
e elements together into a unified programme geared
ee needs of the people for whom it is written. The
^ds of imparting such education reveal that family
^dfucation is not just a programme to be added to
ssual range of topics of a school curriculum, but
is an education for life in the true sense of the
hiird chapter deals with the actual writing of the
_^k<s, the in-service and the pre-service training.
^y you find the results of an evaluation conducted
^^fhe end of the project, which reveal the improve^^tt can be made and the good it has accomplished.
^^>ppe that this report will promote better underthe family life education programme and
~ -^goct jn, and provide inspiration to, all who are
dith the education of youth.
—Ft. Oswald DiH'*
COftSTEftSTS
Page No.
The need for, and concept of, family life education
...
1
Planning the course
....
5
Implementation of the programme
... 17
>
a.
The handbooks
b.
The in-service training
... 19
c.
The pre-service training
.. 22
... 17
Evaluation
... 24
Epilogue
... 27
yy
. i ’
a st r i ‘ ->’j
! ‘.-’T.?
■'<> ...
..
id/t. •
I
BJMTRODUCTIOiy
Though the following pages are essentially a report
on the planning and implementation of a family life
education programme for high school students of the 8th,
9th and 10th standard and for working youth who are
close to marriage, they also aim at creating a better
understanding and
apppreciation of the need for, and
concept of, family life education and of the manner in
which such knowledge is imparted to specific target
groups.
Few people have had the opportunity of learning what
family life education is and many have still to be convinced
of its importance.
A way of making up for such
deficiencies is to make them aware of the detailed
planning and implementation of such a programme They
may find in such a report answers to many questions.
First the reader is given an insight into the origin
of family life education as an independent discipline and
into the the needs that spurred its development. Since
a similar movement is taking place in India, family life
education is shown to be not just a foreign import, but
a response to particular development in the Indian
situation.
Then the principles and methods of planning and
conducting the course are explained Though the content
of the course is drawn from a wide range of different
sciences and disciplines, a common perspective binds all
these elements together into a unified programme geared
to the needs of the people for whom it is written. The
methods of imparting such education reveal that family
life education is not just a programme to be added to
the usual range of topics of a school curriculum, but
that it is an education for life in the true sense of the
word.
A third chapter deals with the actual writing of the
handbooks, the in-service and the pre-service training.
Finally you find the results of an evaluation conducted
towards the end of the project, which reveal the improve
ments that can be made and the good it has accomplished.
We hope that this report will promote better under
standing of the family life education programme and
create interest in, and provide inspiration to, all who are
entrusted with the education of youth.
—Ft. Oswald Dijkstra ofm.
J
The Need for, and Concept of. Family
Life Education
Non-formal family life education is as old as the
family itself. Parents have always felt themselves responsible
for the education of their children and have shared with
them their wisdom, experience and values to give them
a good start in life. In this task they were helped by
the traditions and customs of the community, which
collected and developed them over the centuries for
transmission to the next generation. Till today non-formal
family life education in the intimacy of the family circle
has remained the bedrock on which formal education is
built. What, then, brought family life education into the
limelight of research and experimentation ?
Its Origin
Historically formal family life education began when
the family underwent important changes in the 19th and
20th century when, as a result of these, the family
became an interesting object of research, and when such
research material began to be used for education pro
grammes designed to help families cope with these changes.
In the last decades of the previous century there
was already some movement towards the organisation of
parent groups with an interest in child management, health,
housing and wages.
In the 1920's this movement was
strengthened with concepts and therapies from the field
of psycho-analysis.
Home economics orginated more or
less at the same time in response to the phenomenon
of urbanisation with a view to improve family life. The
development of child psychology became another important
source for family life education. In the field of historical
and institutional aspects of family life, sociology made an
important contribution. Finally, sex education gave a further
powerful stimulus to family life education.
Historically, therefore, family life education drew its
content from a wide range of disciplines and sources to
meet the challenge of coping with the changing pattern
of family life. These changes caused anxiety as they
seemed to lead to an inherent instability of the couple
and a loss of control by parents over adolescent children.
To counteract this threat to
the family as a unit of
interacting personalities, the loose elements of home
making education, parent education, family sociology and
sex education were gradually shaped into a unified disci
pline round the concept of relationship : parent-child,
husband-wife, boy-girl etc.
1
The Concept
By family life education we understand, therefore,
the discipline which teaches the knowledge, skills, values
and attitudes which make for the right kind of relationships
between the members of the family at every stage of
the life cycle. It is a learning process, both formal and
non-formal, that begins at birth and continues throughout
life. It intends to help the members of the family,
comprising both sexes and different ages, to assess their
roles and to achieve harmonious family living. In this
sense child education, marriage preparation, parent educa
tion, and marriage enrichment programmes are but stages
in the life long process of family life education.
In India
In India we observe a similar movement. Since
independence numerous studies have appeared on a wide
range of topics concerning the Indian family : the joint,
extended and nuclear family, the changing patterns of
family life, the status of women, the authority-structure
in the family, the population problem, the concept of the
small family, development and the family, delinquency
and emotional disturbances, divorce, abortion, health and
many other topics.
These studies indicate a growing
awareness of the forces that act upon the traditional Indian
family and of the problems that are likely to emerge.
This awareness has now turned into a positive interest
in family life education on the part of the Government
as well as of various voluntary organisations, though for
different reasons. Some stress the aspect of the popula
tion problem, others that of health, development or sex
education. Much of the research material is already being
used in tentative programmes of family life education.
It will take some more time before a clear concept of
family life education and a coherent discipline will have
emerged from the many loose fragments of present day
programmes.
The Importance of the school
Family life education as a lifelong process of learning
needs to be imparted at different levels, by different agents
to different members of the family. At present the school
is singled out as the preferred agency of family life education.
This choice implies no belittling of the role of parents.
It rather refers to the fact that, with the spread of education,
illiterate parents need the help of the teachers to cope
with the effects of their children's exposure to new
trends and ideas through the mass media. This is the
Indian version, of the loss of control by parents over
2
adolescent children mentioned above.
The^e 1S a need
for a graded programme of family life education in schools
and colleges.
The teachers, so they say, are the most
important agents to handle this education, since they are
in close contact with the student community.
Others draw attention to the fact that a large
percentage of the youth in India are illiterate or school
drop-outs at the primary level.
Voluntary organisations
should take family life education to the rural areas and
the slums, where the large majority of families live. In
either case teachers and volunteers need to be trained
in imparting family life education, and materials, programmes
and aids need to be designed as tools to be put into
the hands of the teachers.
Fears
There are fears as well, which are likely to impede
the implementation of such a programme.
The Indian
family has ancient traditions which parents are not prepared
to surrender easily to novel trends and life styles. Since
parents live by a value system of their own, they are
particularly sensitive to the kind of values imparted by
others in schools and colleges. Another source of fear
is the suspicion that family life education is just another
term for population education with its emphasis on the
concept of the small family.
The child is a financial
asset for many and a joy for most families. Still greater
is the resistence of those who misunderstand family life
education as another form of sex education and who feel
that premature sex instruction exposes the adolescent to
unnecessary dangers. In brief, they look upon the school
as an agent of change which is now about to modernise
the family as well. So they fear.
Principals and teachers have misgivings of their own.
The curriculum is overloaded and the teachers are over
burdened. Family life education is yet another subject to
be added to this load and burden. The present educational
system is geared to academic performance which will earn
the student access to higher education or to a lucrative
job. Family life education, on the contrary, aims at
improving the quality of life and uses methods and
techniques that are alien to the present system The idea
that school should train the students to be not only good
citizens but also good family members, is still a novelty.
The present school system is ill equipped for this role.
The Church
as she teHf deeply interested in family life education
ConstkutFon on the el
passe9e from the Pastoral
Constitution on the Church in the Modern World : "Children
3
should be so educated that, as adults, they can, with a
mature sense of responsibility, follow their vocation,
including a religious one, and chose their state of life.
If they marry, they can thereby establish their family in
favourable moral, social and economic conditions. Parents
or guardians should, by prudent advice, provide guidance
to their children with respect to founding a family, and
the young ought to listen gladly," (52)
In their communication to the Synod of Bishops on
"The Role of the Christian Family in the Modern World-'
the CBCI, gathered at Ranchi in October, 1979, confirmed
the importance of family life education and reoommended
the programme for Implementation in high schools and
colleges as "it gives adolescents the necessary knowledge
and training which will enable them to develop proper
attitudes and acquire sound values towards marriage and
family life.
Particular attention - so the statement goes
on - should be paid in our days to sex education, under
stood not as mere information on sexual matters, but
basically as communication of the right values and under
standing of sex in its correct and God-oriented perspective."'
From its inception the Commission for the Family has
considered family life education an integral and indispen
sable part of family pastoral service in India. As a first
step the Commission composed a provisional syllabus for
family life education at high school level and gave it
wide circulation to awaken interest and encourage initia
tives. Then it began work on planning the course.
4
Planning the Course
Questions that required immediate attention were: For
whom do we intend to write this course ? What should
be our guiding principle in view of fears, misgivings
and different approaches to family life education ? By
what method of teaching could we best involve the
students, teachers and parents in this programme ? What
topics should be chosen in view of the needs and the
maturity of the student ?
The target group
Several reasons seemed to favour a family life education
programme for the students of the 8lh, 9th, and 10th
standard. Firstly, the period of transition from the family
of origin to the family of procreation, from dependence
to interdependence, is of special significance as it sets the
tone for adult life Most important are the early years
of this transition period when children, after a long spell
of protected family life, begin to pass through a phase
of accelerated growth and begin to loosen their emotional
ties with the family of origin in preparation for a life
of responsibility and adulthood. These children are the
students of the eighth, ninth and tenth standard.
Secondly, parents at this stage are likely to lose
their former control on adolescent children, who now
begin to associate with peer groups and are easily
influenced in what they see. hear and read. A family
life education programme for schools would be of
considerable help to guide the adolescents through these
momentous experiences to a mature outlook on life.
Thirdly, many students are likely to discontinue their
studies after high school to seek employment or to be
of help at home. Before leaving school, they should be
given the opportunity of learning to evaluate and appreciate
their past experiences of family life and to understand
the forces that make them now look beyond the family.
Fourthly, a programme for the 8th, 9th and 10th
standard can easily be extended downwards to elementary
school and upwards to college level. The same course
can also be planned to be usefu I to voluntary organisa
tions like family life centres, Mahila Mandals, youth clubs
and Sunday schools for teaching out-of-school youth.
Another target group—not to be forgotten —is working
youth. They have reached the end of the transition
period and are about to be married Since their school
days they might not have had much opportunity to prepare
5
themselves for the momentous step they are about to
take. In view of the modern threats to the stability of
the couple and of marriage, a marriage preparation course
would help the couple discover the meaning of marriage
and the sources of strength for a stable relationship.
Guiding principles
A family life education programme for adolescents
of the 8th. 9th and 10th standard should be respectful
of the Indian traditions, acceptable to the parents and
attend to the needs of the students.
Indian parents are legitimately proud of their traditions,
apprehensive of the emerging trends that threaten the
stability of the family, and desirous of maintaining the
closeness and solidarity of the traditional Indian family.
One should not be blind, however, to the fact that many
social and economic factors have ceased to be the
traditional supports of family solidarity. In compensation
for the loss of these supports greater emphasis should be
laid on the importance of the human person and his
ability to relate. This ability needs to be developed by
creating in the students an awareness of the numerous
relationships, within and outside the family, which help
him to grow to maturity and through which he can help
others to grow Good relationships promote family unity
and solidarity.
Parents are naturally apprehensive of any programme
which is merely sex education No amount of merely
biological information can convey that mysterious element
which makes sex human and acceptable. Though sex
education should not be excluded from a family life
education programme for youngsters who need to under
stand the meaning of their sudden growth, it should be
offered in the context of family relationships where love
is given a chance to humanize sex.
Finally, the programme should help the students
develop the right kind of values and attitudes in these
important matters. For us it means that it should be
based on Christian values. A Christain programme of
family life education is not the same as family catechesis.
In family catechesis the parents are the subject, i.e. the
active participants in the process of catechising their
children in the setting of the home, covering the full
range of faith. In a Christian programme of family life
education the family is the object of the educational
activity; it is imparted by the teachers in the setting of
the school and is restricted to the knowledge, skills,
values and attitudes which make for healthy Christian
family life.
6
These principles were summaried and formulated as follows :
1 The closeness and solidarity of the traditional
Indian family is experienced as a gift that ought to be
preserved. It is the school of deeper humanity, which
children frequent for a far longer period than any other
institute of learning, where the basic human and religious
values are taught and transmitted, where the deep needs
of love, trust, security, appreciation and responsibility
are satisfied, where children through daily interaction with
parents, brothers, sisters and relatives learn to relate to
others, and where they acquire a profound sense of religious
tradition and family loyaly which help them to discover
their identity.
2. Emphasis on the importance of the human person
positively contributes to the strengthening of famiiy ties
in an age when social and economic factors cease to be
the traditional supports of family solidarity. The adolesecent
must learn to know and appreciate himself as a person
and realize that his worth does not depend on his
membership or on the prestige and status of his family.
Emphasis on the human personality within the famHy
will provide the family with that measure of resilience
which is needed to make it adaptable to a fast changing
society without giving up its role of chief educator.
3. To help the adolescent achieve maturity is the
goal of education.
The human person, like any other
living being, is subject to growth. The ability to direct
this growth towards
definite goal is the exclusive
privilege of man. Adolescence is a period of accelerated
growth—physical, mental and emotional. A very important
problem is the integration of sex into the development
process of the human person.
It is also the time that
the adolescent begins to loosen his ties with the family
and to reach out beyond the family. Family solidarity
should not be identified with dependence on the family.
4. The ability to relate to others needs to be developed.
Maturity demands that man learns not only to look after
himself, but also to care for others and to be sensitive
to their needs and feelings.
Feelings play an important
role in the psychological development of man. The
adolescent must learn to recognise and to discipline his
feelings, to communicate with others and to cooperate
5. As man must assume responsibility for his own
development, he stands in need of a value system, which
enables him to give an appropriate response to a variety
of situations he is likely to face. The adolescent must
be helped to develop such a system.
A marriage preparation programme for working youththe second target group we considered—should be sensitive
7
to the views and values which they are in the process
of developing on marriage through discussion in offices
and factories, participation in youth camps, seminars and
social activities, through magazines, novels and films.
Among them there is much hesitation between traditional
and modern values. They must be given a forum where
they can freely discuss their views, benefit from the
experience of others, be confronted with the realities of
married life and learn about tha duties and obligations
of marriage.
The Method
Family life education is an education for life. Instead
of addressing itself only to the minds and the memories
of the pupiis as the traditional lecturing method does,
family life education should involve the whole student
through various forms of interaction with the teachers
and—as for as possible—the parents. To achieve this total
involvement of the students the lessons should be planned
with the following needs of the students in view :
1. The need to discover for himself—therefore, emphasis
is laid not so much on imparting information as on
drawing it out from the student himself.
2. The need to experience personally and in a practical
way his own reactions, feelings and attitudes—hence the
emphasis on allowing him to experience through various
exercises and activities.
3. The need to be honest with himself—hence the
emphasis on group sharing where his honesty will be
tested by his peers.
4. The need for God’s help if he is to change and
mature and grow—hence the closing of each topic by a
deepening of the experience through further sharing and
group or individual prayer.
5. The need to remember experience—therefore the
students are advised to keep a notebook and make good
use of It If possible, the typical classroom setting should
be changed. Desks could be pushed aside and a central
space created for free movement; chairs could then be
put together for small group sharing, etc.
A general lay - out of lesson plans was designed to
suit these needs.
The AIM tersely formulates the main ideas which the
teacher should try to get across to the students.
The BACKGROUND briefs the teacher more extensively
on the objectives of the lessons and provides useful
8
information. Both the aim and the background are meant
for the teacher, not for the students.
The EXPERIENCE identifies the various reactions or
responses which the teacher wants to evoke in the students.
This is accomplished through different techniques.
The DEEPENING OF EXPERIENCE attempts to create
a greater awareness by relating to Scripture and prayer.
The FOLlOW-UP involves further thinking and experien
cing so that the impact of the lesson is strengthened
The student is given a task, to be accomplished either
in the school or at home, to show what impact the lesson
has made. The follow-up creates a link between the
school and the home.
Worksheets for the students, one for each lesson, will
facilitate the participation of the student in the experience
and the accomplishment of his task. As a further follow
up it is suggested that the teacher keep all charts, collages,
results of discussion, etc. so that at the end of the year,
the class may present them as an exhibition on family
life for the parents. This can be part of a "Family Day"
or afternoon when the students also put on some of
their role plays for their parents and perhaps involve
them in discussion. They can prepare some refreshment
for their parents from their own pocket money A final
prayer service for a prayer sharing with parents would be
very much appreciated by them. The organisation of all
this could be through committees formed from the class
itself, each committee having its own leader and baing
responsible for one aspect of the day.
For couples engaged to be married other methods are
required. Whatever these methods are, a written text
seems to be a basic requirement as it can be put to
different uses.
Such a text should be written with a
view to invite people engaged to be married to a serious
reflection and discussion on issues which are easily over
looked or avoided and yet so helpful in promoting
communication and understanding on the essentials of
marriage. Some questions may be explicitly asked, others
may spontaneously arise on reading the text
Such a written text, preferably presented in the form
of booklets, can be conveniently exchanged between
partners who happen to live far away from each other
or who are prevented by custom from meeting in public.
In places where marriage instruction is mainly done
by the priest, the text can be handed out to the partners
in advance and subsequently discussed by them and the
priest.
9
Such a text could be used as a basis for a series of
lectures by experienced couples and experts, followed by a
discussion.
Finally, such a written text could be profitably read
as follow-up material by participants in free discussion,
evenings on topics of interest regarding marriage or in
sharing sessions according to the marriage encounter method..
The Content
The course was planned in three parts : ''The Family'
and Me” for the eighth standard, ''Growing up in the
Family'' for the ninth, and ''Growing out of the Family”
for the tenth standard. The keyword of the first part is
"relationship ", of the second "growth” and of the third
"indentity as basis for intimacy".
Partone draws on the student's experiences of family
life and tries to create an awareness of what family life
means to him and how important he is to the family. First,
the student is helped to discover himself as a person who is
able to relate through the gifts of body, feelings, inherited
trais, consciousness and freedom (Unit One). He is a
member of the family into which he was born, where he
experiences love, care and satisfaction of basic needs (Unit
Two). Through constant interaction with the members of
the family he acquires a deep sense of identity, belonging,
seculity and happiness, develop his gifts and talents, and
learns to respect and care for others (Unit Three). Through
the family he gradually enters the larger human family of
school mates, neighbours and friends (Unit Four). Basic to
his education towards active participation in the life of his
own as well as of the larger human family is the growth of
his ability to relate to others through a love that is trans
forming, forgiving and lasting (Unit Five).
Part two deals with the period of accelerated growth and
how it affects him and the family. The students is helped to
understand that growth in not just a happening, but also a
becomming, i.e., he can learn to direct it towards achievable
gals (Unit One). During adolescence the student becomes
aware of enormous changes, both physical (Unit Two) and
psychio (Unit Three), which he must learn to understandd,
appreciate and integrate. He aiso becomes aware of his
own sex and wants to understanding the meaning of this
differentiation (Unit Four). Maturity defines the goal of the
process of growth (Unit Five).
Part three prepares the student for the period after
leaving high school and the student's altered role and
responsibility in the family. Having learned the secret of
his origin, the student's eyes can now be safely turned
towards the future, when he, in turn, can become parent to
a child.
Before he can assume that responsibility, the
10
adolescent must pass through various stages of growth from
dependence to interdependence. As adolescence advances,
intimate relationships are transferred from parents to persons
of the same sex and then to persons of the other sex in
preparation for a life of intimacy with a marriage partner.
Questioning the customs, traditions and values of the family
is for the adolescent the means of loosening his ties with
the family discovering his identity and finding a place for
himself in secure relationship with his peers (Unit One) The
adolescent finds his identity by learning to assume responsi
bility for his growth and to train himself for social roles by
developing his talents and aptitudes (Unit Two). The process
of integration is not complete without the further advance of
developing a healthy interest in the other sex which one day
will lead him to the marriage relationship and a family (Unit
Three). As marriage and family life come into view, it is
important in the context of India's fast growing population
to help the student understood the relationship between the
size of the family and the quality of life by stressing the
values that really matter (Unit Four). The series is brought
to a close by introducing the student to the world at large
where plenty of opportunities await him to confidently spend
a meaningful life (Unit Five).
The complete syllabus of family life education for the
8th, 9th and 10th standard was then finalised and reads as
follows :
STANDARD EIGHT
Part One—The Family and Me
UNIT I—YOU AND THE FAMILY
I.
You are a person
2.
The body as a means of contact
3.
Feelings
4.
Inherited traits
5
Man's special gift :
Knowledge and free will
UNIT II—APPRECIATING THE FAMILY
6
Appreciating the family
7.
Families are of different kinds
8
The beginning of a family
9.
You don't join a family
11
'
-r,
''
10.
In the family you need one another
11.
In the family you love one another
UNIT III —MEMBERS OF THE FAMILY GROW UP TOGETHER
12.
Fatherhood
13.
Motherhood
14.
Parents are concerned
15.
The joys of being together as a family
16.
Quarrelling
17.
Communication
UNIT IV—MEMBERS OF A LARGE FAMILY
18.
Friends and class-mates
19.
All people share common humanity
20.
We need other people
21.
Popularity
UNIT V—BASIC VALUES OF LIVING TOGETHER
22.
Love
23.
Forgiveness
24
Sincerity
Appendix :
The stages of love
STANDARD NINE
Part Two - Growing up in the Family
UNIT I-GROWING UP IN THE FAMILY
1
Life is Growth
2.
You are growing up
3.
You grow through the choices you make
4.
You must interact to grow
5.
Problems of growth
12
UNIT II—GROWING UP SEXUALLY
6.
7.
The meaning of Sexuality
Differentiation of the Sexes
Section 1.
Section 2.
Section 3
Growing up a boy
Growing up a girl
Accepting one's Sexuality
8.
Sexuality is important
9.
Attitudes towards sexual growth
UNIT III—GROWING UP PSYCHOLOGICALLY
10.
Growing though giving and receiving
II.
Growing though concern for others
12.
Growing though sensitivity to others'feelings
13.
Growing though adjustment
14.
Growing though Foresight
15.
Growing though conquering fear
16.
Growing though accepting failure
17.
Growing though Patience
UNIT IV—SEXUALITY IS GOD'S GIFT
18.
19.
Love and the Gift of Life
A Child is born
Section
Section
Section
Section
1.
2.
3.
4.
Parenthood
Expecting a Child
Labour and Birth
"God blessed Them"
20
Parents and You
21
Families are of different sizes
UNIT V—MATURITY
22.
Dealing with Tensions
23.
Maturity is Integration
13
STANDARD TEN
Part Three—Growing out of the Family
UNIT I—QUESTIONING THE FAMILY
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Growing up is asking questions
The traditions that shaped you
Questioning family traditions
From dependence to interdependence
Peer groups
Mass media
UNIT 11—ASSUMING RESPONSIBILITY
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
What is responsibility
Rules and regulations
Freedom and authority
The role of conscience
Personal honesty
Parents trust you
Feelings about parents
COMMUNITY HEALTH CELL
326, V Main, I Block
Koramongala
Bangalore-580034
India
UNIT 111—YOU AND THE OTHER SEX
14.
15.
16,
17.
Opposites attract
Meeting the other Sex
Respect each other
Taking parents into confidence
UNIT IV—POPULATION AND THE QUALITY OF LIFE
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
The quality of family life
Population trends in the world
Population trends in India
Why does the population increase
The right understanding of family planning
UNIT V-A WORLD BEFORE YOU
23.
24.
Work for quality
The World around
14
The topics of the marriage preparation course were
chosen in view of the Church's growing understanding of
marriage as a sacrament which reaches far beyond the actual
celebration of the marriage on the wedding day. The whole
of Christian married life is sacramental. Who can claim to
live his personal commitment to Christ to the full and leave
the marriage relationship out in the cold? In the love
between husband aud wife, parent and child. God's love is
given the unique chance of being experienced and relished.
These are the topics :
—Realistic Expectations — What expectations do you
bring to your marriage ?
—Communication — The art of building bridges.
—Learning about each other—Building bridges between
the sexes.
—Living together—The blending of I and You in We.
— Building a Horne Together — What makes a home a
Home ?
— Growing together in Love and Unity — Love is the
soul of marriage ; it unites.
—Creating Life Together - Love is also fruitful.
—Sharing Faith Together—Without faith there is no
sacrament.
—Celebrating the Marriage -The meaning of its liturgy.
— Living Together for Others — A Christan family is
apostolic.
The Project
In May 1976 Dr. A.F.A Mascarenhas and Fr. Oswald
Dijkstra, ofm, discussed with Mr. S. Santiago, Executive
Director of the Indo-German Social Service Society, the
need for starting a project on family life education and
explained to him the outline of the programme. In the
following months the project was worked out and made
ready for presentation It comprised the following stages :
1. A team of teachers and experts will design a
teachers' manual for the 8th, 9th and lOth standard, containing
concrete aims and purposes, lesson plans and teaching aids
required. The preparation of the prototype syllabus for each
standard will take approximately nine months to one year, at
the end of which it will be finalised as a teachers' manual
and students' workbook.
15
2. The next step will be the in-service training of the
teachers In this part of the project, which will overlap the
first part, three teaching teams at Bangalore. Bombay and
Calcutta will impart in-service training to the teachers in the
high-schools. This training will consist of ten day seminars
during the holidays, followed by bi-weekly sessions for three
months.
3. The third step is the training of teachers on the pre
service level in the teachers' training institutions where
teaching plans will be designed and implemented within
their curriculum, spread over one and a half to two years.
4. A manual on family life guidance for college
students and working youth who may be married soon, will
be produced by another committee and implemented through
team sessions by the various family life centres.
5 At the end of two and a half years, work a full six
months will be devoted to proper and objective evaluation
of the syllabus as prepared and conducted through its various
stages, resulting in the release of the final syllabus on family
life education for all educational institutions in India.
On March 25th, 1977 the project was presented to the
Indo-German Social Service Society and forwarded and
recommended to Misereor on 26th April 1977. On July 6th
the project was approved by Misereor and a grant of
Rs. 2,47,400/- was made available for its implementation.
The project officially began on 1st November, 1977 and
was scheduled to be completed by October 31st, 1980.
16
Implementation of the Programme
In keeping with the three phases of the project the
preparation of the handbooks was taken up first. After
the publication of the Sth standard teachers' handbook the
in-service training of the teachers was taken in hand.
Towards the end of the project efforts were made to organise
the pre-service training.
Preparation of the handbook
Early in November 1977 a team of five members was
formed for the purpose of preparing the handbook and
organising the in-service training at a later stage. Members
of the team were: Fr. Jude Pereira - Bombay, Sr M CyrilIBVM, Calcutta, Dr. A. F. A. Mascarenhas, Sr M. Faith SND
and Fr. Oswald Dijkstra ofm - Bangalore. In each of the
above places they would gather around them teams of
teachers and experts who would cooperate in working out
lesson plans on the basis of the family life education syllabus
prepared by the CBCI Commission for the Family.
In order to evolve a common approach to the implement
ation of the programme, a first coordination meeting was
convened and held at Bombay on 15th and 16th December
1977. It was agreed that :
1. A set of lesson plans for the 8th standard be prepared
separately at Bombay, Calcutta and Bangalore. These lesson
plans should be completed and posted to the members of the
coordination team before 1st March 1978.
2 Each local team correlate the different versions of the
lesson plans and prepare an integrated version to be
discussed and finalised at the next coordination meeting
scheduled at Bangalore from 28th March-4th April, 1978.
3. The family life education course be designed as a
course of its own based on genuine Christian values. This
formula seemed a fair compromise between two different
concepts of a family life education course. One concept
viewed the course as a form of catechesis and emphasised
the need to make it truly Christian in content. For that
reason the proponents of this view preferred to integrate the
family life education course into the God-with-us series of
the catechetical centre. Moreover, in view of the limited
time available for catechism and moral science in the existing
curriculum it was feared that it might not be possible to
.17
conduct separate courses. The other view emphasised that
over the years family life education had developed into an
independent discipline with its own character, method,
identity and literature and that it should keep pace with the
developments in this field in India. Moreover the Government
had entrusted the NCERT with the task of developing a
population education programme with a viaw to introduce
such a programme into the curriculum. It would be good
for Catholic schools to have an alternative programme in
keeping with their value system. As both views had their
valid points, it was agreed to present the course as an
independent programme but truly Christian in its value
content.
To achieve the maximum coordination and cooperation,
the aims and backgrounds were written out in advance
so as to provide the teachers with a common basis on
which to work out their lesson plans.
The three drafts of the lesson plans were exchanged
in early March 1978. At the second coordination meeting
held at Bangalore from 24th March till 4th April 1978 the
correlated versions were synthesised into the final set-of
lesson plans for the 8th standard teachers' handbook by
Sr. M. Faith SND, Brother M. B Finn (on behalf of Fr.
Jude Pereira) and Fr Oswald Dijksra OFM. Sr. M. Cyril
IBVM was unable to attend The text was printed by mid
July 1978. It was sent in bulk to the Family Welfare Centre,
Bangalore, the Diocesan Family Commission, Calcutta and
the Diocesan Pastoral Centre, Bombay, to be used in their
in-service training programme for 8th standard FLE teachers.
Copies were also sent to all Bishops, members, associate
members and regional representatives of the Commission
for the Family, and to all directors of the family life centres.
Informative leaflets were printed and sent to all Bishops,
Major Superiors, Commission members, associate members
and regional representatives, the directors of family life
centres, to all alumni of the five training courses in
family pastoral service conducted at Bangalore and to the
principals of all Catholic highschools in India. It was
also advertised in the Catholic press.
Work on the draft lesson plans for the 9th standard
FLE teachets' handbook was completed by the end of
January 1979 and the exchange and correlation process
by the end of February. By this time Fr. Jude Pereira and
Sr. Mary Faith had withdrawn from the coordination team
due to other commitments.
At the third coordination
meeting which took place in Calcutta from 25th March to
18
1st April 1979 and was attended by Sr. M Cyril, Br. K. Ward
and Fr. Oswald Dijkstra, the correlated versions were
synthesised into the final set of lessons for the 9th
standard FLE teachers' handbook. The text was printed and
ready for distribution in September 1979.
Fr Saturninus
Dias of Goa was invited to take the place Fr. Jude Pereira
and joined to coordination team in April 1979.
Work on the lesson plans of the 10th standard FLE
teachers' handbook was now taken up by the local teams
at Bangalore, Calcutta and Goa, completed by them in
February 1980 After the exchange and correlation of the
lesson plans the text was finalised at the fourth coordi
nation meeting held at Calcutta from 20th-26th April 1980.
The meeting was attended by Sr. M. Cyril from Calcutta,
Sr. Gonzaga from Goa and Fr. Oswald Dijkstra from
Bangalore. The text was printed in June 1980 and the first
phase of the programme had been completed on schedule.
Soon after the publication of the handbooks, Rev. Sr.
Cyril prepared and printed FLE Student's Personal Record
Sheets for the 8th, 9th and 10th standards, to be used
in conjunction with the teachers' handbooks.
In the meantime another committee was set to work
on a written text for marriage preparation. Members of
the committee were Mr. Paul Roby, Mrs Jeanne Roby, Fr.
Peter de Souza CSSR and Fr. Oswald Dijkstra OFM. All the
topics mentioned earlier were tried out in actual discussions
with engaged couples so as to stay as close as possible to
the needs, problems and experiencas of the young people
in India today The course was published in May 1979
under the title "Marriage—A Task for Adults.''
In-service training
After the publication of the 8th standard teachers'
handbook, the in-service training of teachers commenced
at Bangalore in mid-September 1978, at Calcutta and Goa
in early November 1978, at Bombay in early February 1979
and continued in Bangalore, Calcutta and Goa till October
1981. The duration of the project was kindly extended by
the IGSSS from November 1980 to 31 st December 1981
in order to complete the in-service training.
The in
service training was conducted through seminars and follow
up sessions, organised by the respective family life
centres.
Since some teachers teach in more than one
standard, the total number of participants in the seminars
exceeds the actual number of teachers trained.
19
Bombay
Bangalore
Calcutta
Goa
Seminars
1
7
10
4
Participants
unknown
133
140
96
Follow-up
sessions
unknown
9
14
8
The purpose of each seminar was threefold : to motivate
the teachers, to provide sufficient information regarding
the content of the course and to train them in the various
techniques used in the course.
First, the teachers need to be motivated and convinced
of the value of family life education. They have to overcome
legitimate misgivings and problems of time and place
before they can try out the programme in their schools.
By the time of writing about 40 schools have introduced
a programme of family life education.
The second objective of the seminar was to provide
information. The first source of information is the handbook
itself with which the teacher has to become familiar. That
is done by a detailed study of pages 5-7 of the hand
book, by explaining how the lessons are planned, by
discussions on what is entailed under ''experience-' and
by a general summing up of what is involved in planning
a lesson. Then the teachers are taken through the aims
and background material which is meant to give them
an overall view of the content of the course and a clear
insight into the way the lessons relate to each other.
They are helped thereby by a short explanation at the
beginning of each book which gives the main thrust and
the basic ideas that bind the various units and the lessons
of each unit together Additional information is provided
by inviting experts to share their expertise with the
teachers on relevant topics : the emotional and psychological
background of boys and girls in early teenage, the
psychology of man and woman, the role of parents and
teachers in sex education etc. Or a study is made of the
characteristics of children in class, of the teacher's
attitude, of what he/she expects, what his/her ambitions
are for the students in view of creating rapport between
students and teachers.
Finally family life education is
placed in the total context of the family pastoral service.
20
The third objective is the training in techniques. Most
teachers are accustomed to the lecture-method. The hand
books of family life education call for an active partici
pation of the children in the class. Not theories but the
concrete experiences of the children are taken as the starting
point of the lesson, to be further widened and enriched,
then deepened and finally tested by making the children
express what they have learned. To evoke these experiences
a variety of techniques are used like story-telling, making
posters, charts and collages, reflection, questionnaires,
serendipity approach, non-verbal communication, surveying,
interviews, attitude tests, use of symbols and colours,
photo-language, role — playing, problem solving, group
exercises, etc The teachers are given practical experience
in the use of these techniques For instance, the teachers
are divided in groups. Each group studies a certain
number of lessons and gives back briefly the topics and
contents, using the various techniques they have learned
during the seminar. In this way each group is given the
opportunity to study in depth one area of the handbook
and to receive from the others the fruits of their studies
of other areas.
In this way the whole group gains a
familiarity with all the lessons and a valuable opportunity
of try out on the rest of the group techniques which
they consider significant.
Seminars are meant to give the teachers as good a
start in family life education as the circumstances permit.
The follow-up sessions are meant to keep up and deepen
their interest.
Though teachers may be personally
enthusiastic about family life education, a crowed curri
culum, adverse conditions and lack of cooperation may
put such enthusiasm severely to the test The follow-up
sessions give the teachers a chance to exchange experiences,
improve their techniques, discuss problems and learn from
others how to solve them.
Important also is the feed
back which the teachers share with each other : did the
lessons go off well, how successful were the techniques.
what kind of work pieces did the students produce?
Difficulties with a particular lesson on the part of one
teacher may be solved by others demonstrating how they
handled the lesson The follow up sessions also give the
teachers an opportunity to evaluate the work done, to discuss
problems arising from the student-teacher relationship and
to plan for the future.
The seminars and follow - up sessions did awaken
great interest in family life education among the teachers,
and made them realise that they can make a major
contribution to a healthy family life
Besides creating
interest the training also gave them confidence to try out
the programme.
21
Pre-service Training
In October 1980 a list of 19 B.Ed Colleges was obtained
from the Xavier Board of Higher Education. AICUF and
AIFCTC. A set of FLE teachers' handbooks for the 8th,
9th and 10th standards and a questionaire designed to
elicit opinion about the nature and conduct of the pre
service training of student teachers in family life education
were sent to each principal in November 1980. Positive
responses were received from Mt. Carmel Training College.
Kottayam, Stella Matutina College of Education, Madras,
St. Xavier's College of Education, Palaymkottai and St.
Ignatius College of Education, Palayamkottai.
A B.Ed pre-service training programme was then drawn
up on the following lines :
1.
The objective of such a course would be two-fold :
a)
Motivational.
The teachers in training will have to be
convinced of the value of family life education and
sufficiently motivated to be prepared to teach it.
They will have to see the need for such a course
and the usefulness of the methods used. The way
in which this is done is to allow them to experience
the efficacy of the various techniques for themselves.
b)
Functional.
This would include a training in the techniques
and methods in the course and an extra amount
of informational input.
2,
Time required
Number of days - minimum - 5 days (25 sessions).
These could be combined in one seminar of 5 days
or could be distributed over several months - say one
day, or even a half-day a month, or a session of an
hour and a half once a week, depending on circums
tances and availability of trainers.
3.
Approach
This, to be effective, must be practical. Lectures
should be avoided as far as possible The techni
ques to be used later in teaching this course must
be demonstrated practically by having the B.Ed
students experience them by working through them.
In this way they become convinced of their value
and confident in their use and are more likely to use
them afterwards.
22
4.
Lay-out for one Session
Individual work on the theme.
Group sharing or discussion based on the individual
work.
A feed back from the group.
An analysis of the feedback and summary and input
from the course director (here any extra information
needed can be added).
Reflection and further discussion if necessary.
Prayer (if appropriate)
5.
Topics to be covered
a
Why family life education? (motivational)—to
be dealt with through posters and case-studies
(What the students do not discover for them
selves, can be added at the time of analysis)
2 sessions
b.
The Family Pastoral Service (adapted appro
priately if necessary to non — Christians) —
informational, by lecture followed by discussion,
sharing and question time.
1 session
c.
The course — time allowed for personal study
and discussion
1 session
d.
The books — the method and lay-out explained
and a personal study of the introduction and
explanation given at the beginning of each
book, followed by sharing in groups and
questions
3 sessions
e.
Techniques —13—20 sessions depending on time
available.
f.
Practical application — preparation and teaching
of lessons and critical evaluation by the group.
5 sessions
The first B.Ed pre-service training programme was
scheduled for 6th to 10th October, 1981, at the Stella
Matutina College of Education, Madras. Due to unforeseen
circumstances the seminar could not be held and had to
be shifted to the first half of 1982.
23
EVALUATION
A questionnaire designed to assess the effectiveness
of the family life education teachers' handbook and in service training programmes and their impact on teachers,
students and parents was sent in January 1981 to
approximately 400 persons, including teachers who have
participated in the in - service training programmes and
teachers and principals of schools who have asked for
and received the handbooks. The evaluation was undertaken
with some apprehension as the the 10th standard teachers'
handbook was barely five months out of the press leaving
insufficient time for an overall evaluation Moreover, many
principals and teachers had ordered copies of the text
books out of personal interest but with no intention to
introduce family life education in their schools.
The
replies of those who responded did reveal that the hand
books were used in schools where the teachers had had
no in service training. In all 120 replies were received.
They give us a first impression of how the handbooks were
received and what was the reaction of the teachers and
the impact on the students.
The handbooks
The lessons are evaluated as good, well prepared,
planned in an interesting way and fit for use outside
the school. Some methods and techniques are considered
unfit for the classroom atmosphere/situation. The follow
up activities suggested in the 8th standard handbook
tend to be somewhat monotonous.
Some had reservations regarding the quantity of matter
to be covered. The topics seem to be too many to be
covered in one year, while each lesson is already too
long for one period
They suggest that the number of
lessons be reduced and the experience and deepening of
experience be shortened.
Regarding the use of the handbook in rural areas
they could be further simplified, adjusted to the conditions
and the cultural and social background of a particular
region, and translated into the vernaculars.
Reaction of teachers
Schools where in - service training had taken place.
reported that the training had brought the teachers closer
together and had made the teachers' rapport with the
students more appreciative and personal.
The teachers of these schools also made important
suggestions :
— to exchange experiences, share problems and solutions
and benefit from the support of one another.
24
— to learn from each other how to prepare materials
and audio-visual aids and to share them.
— to discuss at P.T.A. meetings the syllabus of family
life education and to share their experiences with
the parents.
— to be further enlightened on specific topics relevant
to the subject matter of the lessons.
— to have regular follow-up sessions every two months.
— to receive further training in how to identify
family problems that may come to their notice
through family life education and how to refer them
to competent counsellors.
— inspiring texts and stories from other religions should
also be included in the lesson plans wherever
practical and appropriate so as to make the books
acceptable to non-Christians as well.
In schools where no in - service training had taken
place, many teachers felt inadequate to handle the matter
without a much deeper reflection and study than their job
allows or without a group training programme.
To make up for this inadequacy it was suggested
that more background material be mada available at the
beginning of each lesson, that a team be sent to conduct
in-service training for the teachers for 2 or 3 days during
holiday time, or that, once a term, a team of experts
visits the school, talks to the students and shows educational
films.
Impact on students
The students are said to be very interested, to enjoy
the lessons,
especially those on growth and sexual
development, and are eager to discuss values
They show pleasant changes in attitude and behaviour,
greater respect for each other, better understanding and
widening of knowledge.
The lessons help students to
appreciate the home, to increase their sense of belonging
and security.
Regarding the 9th standard handbook and sexual
growth the students are said to be happy to be helped
to discover the sacredness of sex and develop greater
respect for the opposite sex.
They appreciate and feel
greater sympathy for, and gratitude to. their parents
Some were rather surprised that these problems were
shared by so many.
Others in particular appreciated
lessons 5, 7, II, 13, 18, 20, 22 and 23
25
On this point there were also some adverse reactions:
in one school the students didn't like to do the lessons
on physical growth but enjoyed the lessons on psycho
logical growth; in another (boys) school, the students felt
that they knew everything and needed no further instruction;
in yet another school the students didn't feel free to
share their experiences as they were exposed to such
topics for the first time.
Generally, students share easily, participate well, are
cooperative, find the topics relevant to their age and class,
enjoy discussion and group work.
We conclude this evaluation with a few general
suggestions brought forward by the teachers:
— the Bishops should make family life
compulsory in all Catholic schools.
education
— Conscientize the Government and the Education
Department on the subject.
— Arrange for family life
parish level.
26
education
of
parents at
EPILOGUE
The completion of the project is by no means the end
of the programme.
Much remains to be done in the
fields of in-service training and of the teaching materials
for the teachers. It is now the task of the family life
centres, teaching institutions and voluntary organisations
to spread the family life education programme in the
schools and to take it to the youth outside the schools.
The translation of the course into the vernaculars and its
adaptation to the social and cultural background of the
region would greatly facilitate the spreading of the course.
In Kerala, Fr. J Alencherry, Director of the family life
centre of Changanacherry, has already completed the
translation into Malayalam of the 8th and 9th standard
handbooks. We trust that this translation will be well
received and help to spread family life education in Kerala.
The family life centres of Goa and Calcutta have
already begun to spread family life education beyond the
areas of their centres The family life centre of Goa has
conducted in-service training seminars in Karwar and
Belgaum. Sr. M. Cyril has conducted a number cf in
service training sessions in many schools of her congrega
tion in Asansol, Chandanagore, Darjeeling, Lucknow,
Ranchi, Shillong and Simla.
The extension of the family life education programme
to college level is still in the incipient stage.
The
Xavier Board for Higher Education has collected and
published lists of topics and examples of techniques to
be used as a first step towards further experimentation
and development.
From the 12th - 16th October 1981 the All India
Federation of Educational Associations (AIFEA), the Family
Planning Association of India (FPAI) and the indian Social
Institute (ISI) organised a national seminar at Delhi on
"The Role of Teachers in Family Life Education". The
seminar was sponsored by the International Planned
Parenthood Federation and the World Confederation of
Organisations of the Teaching Professions. The objectives
of the seminar were :
1.
To emphasise the role of teachers in family life
education and to generate among educational
institutions/agencies and teachers' organisations
the knowledge and awareness of rhe need for
family life education to improve the quality to
life of the people.
2.
To examine and discuss the nature and scope of
family life education and to draw up a curriculum
based on the needs of youth and families.
27
3.
To consider and establish means of introducing
family life education in school and in out-of
school situations.
4.
To formulate a plan of action to be carried out
at the state, regional and national levels in
introducing family life education.
Sr. M. Cyril and Fr. Oswald Dijkstra participated in
the seminar on behalf of the CBCI Commission for the
Family by the kind invitation of the ISI.
The conference discussed three models of a teachers'
training manual, carefully prepared by Dr. (Mrs.) Dorairaj
on behalf of the ISI, by Dr. (Mrs ) K. T. Singh of the
Regional College of Education, Mysore, on behalf of the
AIFEA, and by Mrs. Sarla Mukhi, Assistant DirectorPopulation Education of the FPAI.
Though each model
had its particular approach, there was large agreement
on essentials.
If as a result of these discussions the
three models could be synthesised into one teachers'
training manual, an important tool would have been
created for use in the in-service and pre-service training.
The seminar proceeded on the idea that priority should
be given to the training of teachers in family life educa
tion who would then be motivated to introduce the
programme into the schools.
Hence the importance of
the discussions on the role of teachers in family life
education and on the three models of the teachers'
training handbook. We were able to make a contribution
by sharing with the participants our model of procedure.
We first concentrated on the preparation of handbooks
to be used by the teachers and designed for a specific
target group and then took in hand the in-service and
pre-service training of the teachers, focussed on the use
of these handbooks. The handbooks and the models of
the in-service and pre-service training were highly
appreciated. If some of the practical proposals could be
realised in the near future, our programme would greatly
benefit by it.
We conclude this report with a word of thanks first
to Bishop Ambrose P. Yeddanapalli ofm, Bishop of Bellary,
Chairman of the Commission for the Family who, by
his active guidance and encouragement, helped in the
planning and implementation of this project.
A very special word of thanks is due to the Indo
German Social Service Society who made it financially
possible to realise this programme by a very generous
donation.
28
We are grateful to Dr. A. F. A. Mascarenhas, the than
honorary secretary of the Commission for the Family, who
took a special interest in this project and gave it the
impetus which led to its completion within the space of
four years, and to Mr. Paul Roby who, as the project
officer, was mainly responsible for the smooth running
of the project, the printing of the handbooks and other
material and for handling the voluminous correspondence.
Much praise is due to the members of the co-ordination
team and the local teams of teachers and cooperators too many to be mentioned by name - who laboured so
hard to produce the textbooks and to organise the in
service and pre-service training.
COMMUNITY HEALTH
CELL
V Main, / Block
K°rsmbngala
Bangalore-560034
India
FPUCa-t/on student record
SH£tTS TO
the
BE
USEQ
TEACHERS'
/N
CONJUNCTION
HANDBOOKS
-‘AILA3LE WITH REV SR M. CYR/l.,
’-O'iVENT.
v'-
ENTA_LV
ci'll A-LV.
tam
TAN JR a p 0
v^LCUTTA-70001o.
29
ARE
1
4
The
Familq
Life
Education
Teacher’s
Handbooks for the Sth, 9th and 10th
Standards and the Series “Marriage - a
task for Adults”
are available at the
National Secretariat, C.B.C.I. Commission
for
the
familq,
Bangalore-560 025
I
i/
21,
Museum
Road,
- Media
423.pdf
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