Schools to make learners aware of Gender Based Violence

The Department of Basic Education is currently testing scripted lesson plans that are aimed at making learners more conscious of issues of Gender-Based Violence (GBV), Northglen News reports.

The scripted lesson plans are being tested in five provinces, to strengthen the Life Skills curriculum offering in the schooling system while seeking to make learners more conscious of issues of GBV.

“The Scripted Lesson Plans (SLPs) have been designed to assist educators to teach scientifically accurate, evidence-informed, incremental, age-appropriate and culturally appropriate sex education within the Life Skills and Life Orientation (LO) Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) in the classroom,” the department said.

The SLPs uses a human rights approach which allows adolescents and young people to develop appropriate life skills to support healthy choices and promote gender equality.

These are currently being tested in 1  572 schools across five provinces, namely Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Western Cape ahead of full implementation.

“Additional resources to engage stakeholders within school communities have been developed in preparation for the provision of sexuality education in schools. These include School Governing Body Orientation Manuals, School Management Team Orientation Manual, Teacher Training Manuals and Parent Engagement Manuals. The National Consultative Forum (NCF) was consulted on the content of the School Governing Body (SGB) Manual,” the department said.