Abstract

Malawi is one of the countries with a youthful population. Youths are susceptible to various social - economic pressures that put their well being into jeopardy. One of the issues that affect youth is early drop out of school, drug abuse and contracting sexually transmitted diseases including HIV. To address these issues, the Malawi Government introduced life skills and Sexual and Reproductive Health (LS/SRH) education. The objective of LS/SRH was to empower pupils and their teachers with life skills for HIV prevention, sex and sexuality issues. This study evaluated the current levels of knowledge of LS/SRH in primary school pupils and secondary school students after the introduction of LS/SRH. It also investigated reported behaviour changes in pupils, students and teachers due to LS/SRH. Implementation challenges of LS/SRH were also investigated. Knowledge of LS/SRH is low amongst primary school pupils and it is slightly higher amongst secondary school students. LS/SRH has also led to behaviour changes amongst pupils, students and teachers. Lack of teaching materials, poor orientation of teachers on LS/SRH, and teaching time are the major challenges affecting the teaching of LS/SRH. In the light of high HIV prevalence among young people in Malawi, the government should continue to support LS/SRH in primary and secondary schools. LS/SRH should be made examinable to encourage both students and teachers to take it seriously. More resources should be provided to create an enabling environment for teaching LS/SRH.

Key words: Life skills, sexual and reproductive health, sexually transmitted infections, HIV prevention