A youth-led non-governmental organisation, Stand With A Girl (SWAG), has called on relevant government agencies to strengthen ongoing support for teachers through regular school monitoring, updated learning resources, and partnerships with health organisations to ensure effective delivery of Family Life and HIV Education (FLHE) in Nigerian schools.
The appeal came at the close of a two-day capacity-building workshop for 1,175 teachers from public and private junior schools, as well as upper primary schools, across the six area councils of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The training, approved by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) under its O3 (Promoting Education for Health and Well-being) project, sought to bridge gaps in teachers’ knowledge of adolescent sexual and reproductive health.
Project Lead, Andrew Rebecca Gbazhi, said the exercise showed worrying gaps in teachers’ understanding of adolescent health issues “Most of the teachers we reached during this orientation had no basic knowledge of sexual and reproductive health. Through the training, we brought them up to speed on adolescent health concerns, safeguarding, values clarification, and creating safe learning spaces. These skills are critical for delivering the FLHE curriculum effectively,” Gbazhi explained. She called on the government to introduce clear referral pathways for student support services and ensure continuous professional development for teachers, especially in rural areas.
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