Factors contributing to poor management and teaching of Life Skills Education in senior secondary schools in //Karas region

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors contributing to poor management and teaching of Life Skills Education in //Kharas educational region in Namibia. The explorative and descriptive design was used within a qualitative approach. The Social Cognitive theory was used as the theoretical framework of the study. The population for this study comprised 126 teachers, and four school principals from four senior secondary schools in //Kharas region. Nine teachers were selected from the three purposefully selected schools in //Kharas Education region. An in-depth semi-structured interviews on face-to-face with the aid of an interview protocol was used to collect data from the principals, HoDs and teachers. Data was analysed using themes which were discussed later. The literature and the theoretical framework were used to compare and contrast the study findings. The study found that the teachers in the //Kharas region did not have adequate resources to use in their teaching of Life Skills Education (LSE) and this was one of the greatest challenges being faced in the teaching and learning of LSE. Specifically, the inadequate resources ranged from books, qualified teachers and sufficient time. The study also established that the teachers in the //Kharas region were not qualified and did not have appropriate training to teach LSE. The study further established that stress was one of the factors that seemed to be affecting some of the learners in the //Kharas region and this was affecting their academic success. The participants indicated that lack of support from the ministry and unavailability of qualified teachers to teach Life Sciences were the main factor influencing poor management and teaching of Life Skills Education in the //Kharas education region. The participants recommended that the ministry needed to support the schools in Life Skills management and teaching and should provide the resources needed to support the teaching of Life Skills Education in the region.