Teaching children the social and emotional skills they need to learn in order to manage their feelings and behave pro-socially and non-violently is an integral part of ensuring schools are free of violence.
Children will learn these skills both from the formal (taught curriculum) and a range of opportunities in the daily life of the school where children learn by example (the caught curriculum).
To support schools in achieving this, the Bureau for Education Development, with UNICEF support has developed Life Skills Education Program. The programme teaches children to recognize and manage emotions, care about others, make good decisions, behave ethically and responsibly, develop positive relationships, and avoid negative behaviours.
Programmes like Life Skills are noted to produce results that go beyond reducing violence. Research on the impact of similar programmes in other countries highlights that programmes such as Life Skills: improve attendance; reduce disruptive behaviour; improve overall academic achievements (grades); reduce suspensions and expulsions; contribute to children liking school more; and, make children feel more autonomous, independent, and feel a greater sense of belonging.
The curricula elaborate five teaching topics at different levels, with age sensitive activities (grades I to III, IV to VI and VII to IX). They offer development of acceptance, understanding or perception skills and behaviours, as well as personal participation of the pupil in events from everyday life.
