Family Life Education In Secondary Schools

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31029, 7 April 1966, Page 2

Family Life Education In Secondary Schools

Young people today seem to be educated for almost everything but marriage. It is an institution which attracts them more than any other, and one which they are entering at an increasingly early age. t

The Family Life Education Council is now close to one of its ultimate aims to establish a course in human relationships as part of the regular school syllabus.

A syllabus has been prepared by Dr. E. M. A. Glennie of the Health Department, and is now ready for discussion. “Thirteen-year-olds today are facing a more adult world and need guidance,” Dr. Glennie said yesterday.

Many parents were not aware of the problems their children faced, or considered them too young at the 13 to 15 age to require special guidance. Inability of parents to communicate with their children often resulted in young people being badly misinformed or ignorant about sex, the responsibilities of marriage, and the value of ethics. Aims Of Course The council believes the course it hopes to introduce into schools would prevent much unhappiness through fostering self respect and consideration of others, knowledge of emotional and physical changes, maturity and self control “Parents today are often over-indulgent, wanting things for their children which they were not able to have. Having everything coming easily is not very conducive to self control,” said Mrs Phyllis Zeff, a mmeber of the council. “So many young people marry without having any knowledge of what it requires. They are mature physically but not emotionally. “They live in an insecure world, and have to develop much earlier.” Group pressures, and the desire to be popular often led adolescents into promiscuous behaviour. Many were searching for love and attention which they did not receive at home. An ideal beginning for the course would be form one, but as a considerable amount of lecturing on “growing up” was already being done in post-primary schools, most support for the scheme came from these schools. Mother and daughter, and

father and son evenings are held in some intermediate schools. Mrs Zeff began her work at Avonside Girls’ High School with question-and-answer discussions with school leavers. Now this work is carried into all forms and to many boys’ and co-educa-tional schools. Avonside now has the course as part of regular classes. "Ninety per cent of the pupils say they benefit from the talks,” Dr. Glennie said. “We feel this is a need which must be met. All pupils would benefit, even of they receive guidance from the home. For those who do not it would be invaluable.” The Family Lafe Education Council includes representatives from Teachers’ Training College, the Marriage Guidance Council, welfare workers, and headmasters and headmistresses of several Christchurch secondary schools.

Permission First Some of the impetus for the present syllabus came from the success of a pilot scheme in Lower Hutt secondary schools. At present parental permission is sought before talks are given. A letter advising of the talks to be held is sent to homes, but objections are rare. As yet the reaction of all secondary school principals to a regular course which would have to be fitted into the existing curriculum is not known.

“We don’t just go into schools and give talks, we must be invited,” Dr. Glennie said. “While we do receive requests from many principals, there are quite a number of schools which don’t apply.” A “follow through” after the lectures is considered essential. “A full-time teachercounsellor who is specially trained should be working in all secondary schools. A school with a roll of a thousand and over means that there are a lot of young people to deal with.” Full Support The National Council of Women has given its full support to a scheme of this kind, adding information on alcoholism to its recommendation on counselling youth drawn up by the executive. The president (Mrs Doreen Grant) has expressed the opinion that a breakdown in family life and the creation of a permissive society were two of the greatest threats facing the world today. The life of a community could not be more healthy than the life of its families, she said. Speaking at an inter-church

school far women organised by the women’s committee of the National Council of Churches in Christchurch recently, Mrs S. E. Woods urged church support for the establishment of a family life education course in schools. Parents are also going to be given help in dealing with problems within the family, through a course to be held by the Workers’ Educational Association. Room For Help “There are so many ways in which adolescents need to be guided.” Mrs Zeff said. “Many girls think only of boys, talk only of boys, and don’t have any other interests. Boys have sports and hobbies which they won’t give tin after they are married. There’s not much money for clothes and hairsets and make-up either, after marriage.” Finance is another aspect young people had little knowledge of, particularly the need to budget. “One class of boys told me they considered one-third of their income was quite sufficient for the housekeeping money,” said Dr. Glennie. “I am sure the course would result in better adjusted adolescents and happier marriages, which would be bound to improve conditions for the next generation.”