Zambczia (11)78), VIRESEARCH REPORTFAMILY LIFE EDUCATION IN SCHOOLSIN RHODESIATHE CONCEPT OF family life education is not new. It was an essential partof the upbringing of youth in traditional African society, undertaken by anumber of adults in the wider kinship group. In the nuclear family which isthe typical family unit for Rhodesians of European ancestry, family lifeeducation was tacitly conceded to be the responsibility of parents. What isrecent, however, is the increasing pressure on schools to become involved infamily life education. This concept is confused by the variety of terms used,often interchangeably. Thus one hears of population education, sex education,responsible parenthood education, education for better family living, educa-tion for personal development and so on. People are not always clear aboutwhat: the goals of the educational programmes are.The decision as to which term is used is probably not important,provided that it does reflect, as accurately as possible, the objectives of theprogramme, which in turn should reflect the specific needs of young peoplein the community whom the programme is designed to serve.Although the family is one of the most pervasive institutions of man, theprocesses of modernization and urbanization and the changing status ofwomen are bringing about such radical changes in family roles and thefunctions of the family unit, that each society needs to discover how best tocarry out family life education in the midst of change.Disorganizing trends which threaten family life in Rhodesia, and whichcould be counteracted, at least in part, by educational programmes, in boththe formal and non-formal systems, are:1. In African society the gradual disintegration of the wider kinship systemin urban environment is accompanied by change in the customs andnorms regarding family life; the breakdown of the sexual behaviourcede; and loss of control over the younger generation. Parents are experi-encing difficulties in being solely responsible for the discipline of theirchildren without the support of the wider kinship group. Even in ruralareas there is considerable evidence that the traditional methods are notpreparing young people to face the demands made on them by modernsociety.2. The persistence of the cultural value of large families which wasfunctional in a rural agricultural economy, but puts a heavy economicburden on the individual family in the urban environment. Frequentlythe result is malnourished and under-educated children.3. In European society an exceptionally high divorce rate is accompaniedby an increase in pre-marital pregnancies. There is considerable evidencethat young people are not receiving guidance in the home to preparethem for marriage and parenthood.4. In both societies early marriage, teenage pregnancy and abortions,161162 FAMILY LIFE EDUCATION IN SCHOOLSvenereal diseases, alcoholism and drug abuse, illegitimate children andone-parent families are on the increase.5. The retention of legislation which discriminates against women retardsthe process of their emancipation. This tends to reinforce perpetuationof the pattern of male dominance in decision-making within the house-hold.The trends listed above are not unique to Rhodesia, nor is the debate asto who should be responsible for providing an. educational input, the broadaim of which is to prepare youth to fulfil their social roles as responsibleadults in the family unit, and in the community. At the international levelthe role and responsibility of educationists in the emerging field of popula-tion and family life education is expressed in the following recommendationcontained in the World Plan of Action approved by all of the 136 memberstates who attended the United Nations World Population Conference inBucharest in 1974:It is recommended that Governments consider making pro-vision, in both their formal and non-formal education programmes,for informing their people of the consequences of existing oralternative fertility behaviour for the well-being of the family, foreducational and psychological development of children and for thegeneral welfare of society so that an informed and responsibleattitude to marriage and reproduction will be promoted (U.N., 1974,p.18).The World Confederation of Organisations of the Teaching Professionaccepted this recommendation and stressed its importance and urgency(W.C.O.T.P., 1974).A consistent pattern that emerges is that both teachers and parents havea responsibility to develop in young people rational and responsible attitudesand behaviour towards the national development needs in their country, andto the family as the basic unit in society.Perpetuation of international concern for the welfare of the family unitis now expressed in the designation by the United Nations of 1979 as the In-ternational Year of the Child. The official document states that there are 350million children in the world who do not receive the minimum basic servicesin health and education. Children are the essence of family life education.It is clear that the educational task is not only complex but also urgent,and the target population are the youth who are approaching adulthood andwill become the parents of tomorrow.DEVELOPMENTS IN RHODESIAThe process in Rhodesia has followed a pattern which is typical of twentieth-century democratic societies. Concerned citizens who perceive a social ill gettogether and a voluntary association is formed. Thus the Marriage GuidanceSociety was established in 1955 and the Family Planning Association in 1957.initially the activities of voluntary associations tend to be remedial, inattempts to rectify a situation, or to bridge a gap. However, in the pastdecade there has been a swing away from remedial work towards preventivework, resulting in an increasing development of educational programmes.Thus in the European Division of the Ministry of Education, and to a lesserextent in the African Division, the Marriage Guidance Society and FamilyPlanning Association have been giving sessions in schools on topics relatedA. GERATY163to the aims of their respective associations. However, the pattern has beenvery haphazard, and frequently a once-only lecture with questions and dis-cussion. For such training to become effective, it needs to become part of asynthesized whole which incorporates the full range of family relationshipswhich are relevant to youth at different stages in their development.Awareness of the need for a more integrated approach led the NationalCouncil of Women in 1974 to pass a resolution urging the Ministry ofEducation to consider the introduction of a four-year course on 'Educationfor Living' in Teachers' Colleges and Secondary Schools, one section to bedevoted to personal relations, including relationships in the family unit.About the same time research at the University, sponsored by theFamily Planning Association, resulted in a research report which recom-mended that a suitable training programme should be designed for schoolsto educate the youth about the demographic aspects of overpopulation, andthe related concept of family planning (.Geraty, 1973, p.4i).A Working Party on Population Education was set up in the Divisionof African Education in July 1975, and for the first four years the emphasisin their educational programme for schools tended to be at the macro-level,covering demographic statistics, population growth in the world andRhodesia, the relationship between man and his environment and the finite-ness of resources. A comprehensive Resource File for Teachers on PopulationEducation has been produced.At the micro-level, which is family life education, the emphasis is onpreparing youth to fulfil their social role as responsible parents in the familyunit and in the community. More recent research into family values in AfricanGrade 7 classes in Rhodesia (Geraty, 1977) led to the recommendation thatfamily life educational programmes should be developed and introduced intothe school curriculum. The findings indicated that there was still considerablesupport for the large-family value; that a four-child family was consideredto be a small family; that the man's primary role was seen to be that ofprovider, and the woman's as that of wife, mother and home-maker. Although53 per cent of girls thought women should get the same pay as men for thesame job, only 26 per cent of the boys did. However, there was evidence ofa growing awareness that children were an economic responsibility and thatthere are positive benefits in postponing marriage.It is therefore suggested that both population and family life educationare needed in the school system, the emphasis to be adjusted to suit thespecific learning needs of the young people at different stages in their develop-ment. An advantage of the family life approach is that students areinterested in. talking together about subjects which already affect their ownlives and plans for the future. Controversial subjects such as sexuality, sexroles, marriage and divorce have the potential to stimulate lively discussion.Attempts to implement the proposals put forward by the National Coun-cil for Women have been made by both Divisions of the Ministry of Educa-tion. In the European, Asian and Coloured Division, a syllabus has not beenimposed. Headmasters have been circulated with suggestions for a GuidanceProgramme in Secondary Schools. These can be used as a basis for develop-ing programmes. The policy on sex education is that it should be limited toaspects included in the biology syllabus and sociological topics concernedwith relationships, of a general nature, with members of the opposite sex.The significance of this arrangement is that the actual development of pro-grammes depends on the enthusiasm of the headmaster and/or a teacher onhis staff.164FAMILY LIFE EDUCATION IN SCHOOLSThe Division of African Education has retained the 'Education forLiving' title, and the 1978 guide for Education Officers, Principals ofTeachers' Colleges and Headmasters of Secondary Schools contains sug-gestions and ideas which have been submitted by headmasters based on theirown experience of implementing the topic. A wide range of aspects of familylife education have already been included in syllabuses at some schools, suchas the family, parenthood and family planning, legal status of women, drugsand drug abuse. Again, the conviction of the headmaster that the topic isimportant remains crucial,A major weakness which is particularly relevant for the family lifeaspect is that three important issues have either not been resolved, or havebeen left to the discretion of individual headmasters. The first is whetherfamily life education should be concerned with inculcating values or merelywith providing information. For example, should sex education merelyprovide information on the 'facts of life' about human reproduction, orshould the teacher, or a trained specialist, be available to help studentsdevelop their own sets of values based on an informed understanding ofalternatives, and of the consequences of individual decisions and actions inthe area of reproductive behaviour.The second issue is the selection of appropriate teaching methods. As theprimary concern of family life education lies in the area of attitudes andbehaviour, rather than the provision of knowledge, suitable teaching tech-niques may need to be evolved.Finally, there is the question of involving the parents, and how this canbe effected so that family life education in the home and the school can bemutually supportive.THE 'ANALYSIS' OF FAMILY ROLES' APPROACHA further dilemma for headmasters and teachers is that family roles varyfrom culture to culture, and in rural and urban environments. However, ifthe problem-oriented approach suggested below is adopted, the dilemma maywell turn out to be the strength of the exercise.The purpose of the educational process in this approach is to encourageexploration and analysis of family roles in traditional and modern societies,and to examine alternatives in, for example, the division of labour in thehome, the status of the sexes, sex roles and so forth.It is appreciated that the idea of getting students to think seriously aboutsuch questions, and to discuss them, may well prove difficult for someteachers. However, for those who are convinced of the value of this type ofeducation, and who feel reasonably competent to handle the subject matterin a professional and objective mariner, the following ideas may prove to beuseful.The first step is to identify the prescribed roles for aduhs in the familyunit, bearing in mind that responsibilities associated with each role, andappropriate behaviour patterns, will depend on cultural values and norms. Afurther complication is thv.i some roles are emerging and others arc declining,which results in a measure of uncertainty.Recent research in America (Nye, 1976) attempted to delineate andmeasure the expectations and behaviour patterns associated with eight rolesidentified in the literature as belonging to the positions of spouse or parent.These roles can be divided into normative roles and optional roles. Thenormative roles arc those which are taken for granted, and in which there isa measure of agreement in the community on what should be done and whoA, GERATY165should do it. For example, it is seen as the duty of the parents in the familyto support the family, to provide a home, and to care for and socialize thechildren. The optional roles are not seen as being the duty of any one personin the family, yet they make a contribution to the enrichment of family life.For example, a wife does not have to help her husband solve a problem, nordoes a husband have to initiate recreational outings for the family, but theyoften do.The normative roles therefore are the provider role, the housekeeper role,the chikl-carc role and the socialization role. A brief examination of eachwill ser\e to suggest discussion topics or exercises.The husband or father is normally expected to be the main provider ofthe means to support the family. However, many wives nowadays work forpay outside of the home, so the role is often shared. Topics which could bediscussed are:Should the wife work outside the home?Who should manage the income?What should a woman who has children, but no husband do?The housekeeper role (not to be confused with the housewife role)includes all tasks related to food processing, cooking and serving, cleaning,laundering, repair of clothing and household equipment, shopping andkeeping financial records.Most societies prescribe that the wife/mother should accept responsibilityfor the majority of the housekeeper roles. However, many men now agreethat the role should be shared. Each o'i the tasks in the housekeeper role canbe analysed into greater detail, with concomitant discussion on the allocationof duties.There is an overlap between the child-care and socialization roles.However, the focus of child care is the provision of the physical and psychicneeds of the child, with the object of rearing a healthy child. The WorldHealth Organisation has recognized the important role of the family in pro-moting and protecting the health of its members (W.H.O.. 1975), Tradition-ally the mother has been primarily responsible for the child-care role, buteven in this role the idea of sharing responsibility is emerging.A wide range of topics can be explored when examining this role, com-bining factual information sessions with informal discussion on modem/traditional values. Family diet, family diseases, pre-natal and post-natal care,nutrition, home accidents, environmental sanitation, the concept of familyplanning, sexually transmitted diseases and early childhood development areall relevant to the child care role.The socialization role refers to the activities within the family whichcontribute to the development of the child into a competent, social andmoral person. It involves teaching children what is right and wrong, develop-ing a sense of responsibility, competence in eating and dressing properly,doing school work and generally interacting with others.As in the case of the child-care role, the major responsibility for socializ-ing the child has in the past been allocated to the mother. However, there arecukural variations, with fathers or other relatives being expected to takemore responsibility for the teaching in specified areas,Stimulating discussion on the normative family roles is an indirectmethod of creating awareness of some of the responsibilities of parenthood,and the needs of children.166FAMILY LIFE EDUCATION !N SCHOOLSThe optional roles incorporate some of the more controversial and lessclearly-defined aspects of family life. The optional roles are the sexual role,the kinship role, the therapeutic and the recreational role.The sexual role is still a 'hot potato' in educational circles. Traditionaleducation in the family tended to be limited to the moral aspects of sexualbehaviour. Controversy still exists about the ethics of including moral educa-tion in the school curriculum, although the inclusion of human reproductionin the biology syllabus is rarely disputed. The divergence of opinion lies inthe field of moral education, and how it should be handled. Experts tend tosee the aim as being to bring about a more mature understanding of moralproblems, whereas laymen identify moral education as the direct inculcationof socially acceptable habits. The consensus of opinion tends to be that thistopic is best handled by carefully selected and trained people.The kinship role offers the opportunity to explore dilferent cultures andchanging patterns of behaviour. Although there is wide support for the viewthat kinship structures are less important than they used to be, certain kin-ship obligations do affect marriage and family relationships, and in somecultures are more important than in others. Suitable topics for discussion inthe school curriculum include marriage practices and customs, such as thepayment of lobola, financial assistance to relatives, and maintaining com-munication with relatives.The therapeutic role refers primarily TO the emotional support the familygives to its members Š the opportunity to discuss problems and worries, thegiving of reassurance and. affection and the offer of help in solving problems.Students co-jJd be encouraged to discuss whether this really is an optionalrole in the family, or an obligation.Recreational activities can either be viewed as an individual activity, oras group activities. The functions of leisure activities can be classed asrelaxation, entertainment or personal development. Areas to be exploredinclude the value of the recreational role, and the importance of havingfamily recreation together.CONCLUSIONIt is suggested that this approach to family life education can be used as aguide to assist in the development of programmes suitable for including inthe school curriculum. Both the child-care and the socialization role open thedoor for guided discussion on parenthood, and give the teacher the oppor-tunity to discuss the causes and consequences of behaviour leading to parent-hood, bearing in mind that:Becoming a parent is not always a voluntary act. It is often theunintended consequence of a spontaneous sexual act.Parental status is relatively irrevocable. One can change spouses,and change jobs, but parents are generally stuck with the responsi-bility of having to bring up their own children.There are few roles in society nowadays for which people are sopoorly prepared as those associated with parenthood.A primary objective of family life education would thus be to exposeoptions that are available in marriage relationships, and the responsibilitiesthat are involved in parenthood. That there is an educational need to makeyoung people aware of these responsibilities, and the consequences of irre-sponsible behaviour Š for the individual, for the family, for the community,A, GERATY167and for the nation Š has been established. The responsibility of the schoolto provide an educational input in this area is also being accepted, albeitwith reluctance. A consoling thought is that if the youth of today can bemade aware of the need for concerted action in order to preserve a stablesociety and viable environment for the next generation, they may well becomethe educators of tomorrow in their own homes, and this is probably the idealto strive for in family life education.University of RhodesiaALFREDA H. GERATYReferencesBLOMBERG, R. 1973 'In-srhool sex. education, family life education, and populationŁeducation in Columbia: A case study in thr- future tcn.se', in Readings on PopulationInformation and Education (New York, Ford Foundation).GERATY, A. II. 1.973 'Evaluation of Family Planning Educational Programmes inRliodc.'ia: The Dimensions of the Problem-; a-; Rcnoncd by Field Educators of theFamily Planning Association of Rhodesia: Research Report No. V (Univ. of Rho-desia, Inst. of A'.niit Education, muruo;.1077 'Population and Family LiTe Education in African Schoolsin Rhodesia: Smrie Guidelines to Deiermiiie Purpose and Scope' (Univ. of Rho-desia, Faculty of Education Research Report No. 3, mimco.).I.P.P.F./W.C.O.T.P. 1077 Teachers and Family Life Education: Report of WCOTP/IPrF/CNAT Seminar Boh'atan^a, Ghana. November, 1976. (LLondon], IPPF/WCOTP).N'YE, F. T. 1976 Role Structure and Analysis of the Family (London, Sage Publica-tions) .UNESCO 1974 Population Education: Problems and Perspectives (Paris, Bulletin ofthe International Bureau of Education, No. 193).U.N. 1974 United Nations World Population Conference: Action Takenat Bucharest(CESI/WPY Š 22).W.C.O.T.P. 1974 Echo XXIII (ii, Population Issue).W.II.O. 1975 World Health (Aug.-Scpt.).