Increasing need for qualified PSD teachers
The PSD Teachers' Association would like to clarify some misconceptions that were published regarding Personal and Social Development (PSD) taught in the various secondary schools on the island. The article in question, entitled Mum, Dad, Can We Talk About Sex? (July 17) cited a young woman who complained that when she was in school, topics regarding sexuality education had not been properly dealt with, since the teacher who taught her PSD was a nun.
The Association would like to point out that anyone who is appropriately trained may teach PSD. In fact in state schools there are teachers who teach both Religion and PSD because they were trained to be able to teach both subjects. The Association would therefore like to highlight the importance of having trained PSD teachers, because PSD is a very delicate topic dealing with sensitive topics like healthy living, drug education, sexuality, abortion and relationship education. Unless a person is skilled in how to tackle such topics, one should not be allowed to teach this subject. Untrained PSD teachers can do more harm than good.
It is, therefore, imperative that all PSD teachers in all state, Church and independent schools have the necessary training and skills to tackle such topics. The PSD syllabus deals in detail with various aspects of sexuality education, ranging from physical development, sexual development and personal safety, to consequences of behaviour, contraception, pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, including HIV and AIDS, and sexual orientation throughout the secondary years students spend in schools. It is, however, unfortunate that PSD does not have the same status in all schools.
Sexuality as well as relationship education are sometimes left out because of the bias against them either by the head of school or by the institution itself.
Every year a group of PSD teachers graduate from University but do not find employment because their places are taken up by teachers who are not trained in the subject, with the consequence of having students who do not have a positive and fruitful experience in PSD.
We take this opportunity to express the need for employing qualified PSD teachers and that the amount of PSD lessons is increased from a single to a double lesson for Forms 3, 4 and 5 students as proposed by the Career Guidance Policy for Schools (2007).
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Sharon Fabri
Aug 5th 2009, 12:33
Whilst all teachers should educate students and not instruct them as Ms Lina Caruana put it, one needs to appreciate that the PSD session not only gives the students an opportunity to gather information about or to discuss life issues but also presents them with the possiblity to practice life skills such as assertiveness, which is a crucial element in making healthy decisions. When people react passively or aggressively to a situation it either gets them into trouble or makes them feel powerless. PSD strengthens students' personality, making them less influenced by others and more likely to behave appropriately in challenging situations. Thus the need for PSD as a seperate subject and why PSD specialists need to be appropriatley qualified.
Lina Caruana
Aug 4th 2009, 16:06
Perhaps it is time to rev iew the training course for all teachers to include the skills neccessary not simply to instruct but to educate. The content of the PSD may be of great use to all teachers to be able to meet educational needs of today. It may not be such a good idea to gather all sensitive topics as a makeshift subject . Life is the practice of living and prescriptions as if everybody has the same problems will not be enough. Besides there are so many subjects in the curriculum and many overlap that it would be better to train all teachers to educate within their subject area what relates to life education. Very often giving exposure to problems may not contribute towards their prevention. The goodness and beauty of life would serve better as motivation . We should be able to distinguish between counselling and repair work and preventive education. This is what children should learn,to appreciate what is best in life and how to avoid problems not because of fear but through understanding of what life is all about. Positive thinking might be better.
Robert Callus
Aug 4th 2009, 11:03
If the nun is fully qualified and is able to be objective, I don't think there is a problem having a nun teaching PSD.
What I find disturbing is this sentence:
''Sexuality as well as relationship education are sometimes left out because of the bias against them either by the head of school or by the institution itself.''
Does the head of school have the right to change the syllabus depriving students from such vital education?
If I may ask, is there any authority where parents, teachers or other concerned indivuduals could report such abuse to?
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