In South Africa we have a subject called “Life Orientation” (LO) as part of our high school education. The syllabus aims to educate in basic life skills and consists of learning about various religions, STDs/sex ed, alcohol, career guidance etc.
I had a great teacher for LO, which made the experience quite enjoyable. However, the majority of South African learners do not see any value in it, and implementation is generally quite poor (Jacobs, 2011).
I think that the idea of the subject is great, but that there are so many skills that could be taught as part of the syllabus. Off the top of my head these include:
- Applying for government documentation (IDs, drivers, passports)
- Understanding medical aids and the health system in general
- How to file taxes
- Basic meal preparation and other home management techniques
- Understanding employment contracts and the rights of employees
- Understanding and managing mental health problems
There is much more that can go into this list. The idea, though, is that LO could be used as a vehicle to teach essential life skills. In doing so, it would make it easier for young adults to function in the real world.
Image is of my little brother at my old school, taken in 2011. He starts high school tomorrow! Good luck kiddo!
Thesis update: got serious food poisoning today. Spent the day in bed
Blog 72/365. Read more about my #365of25 journey here
I couldn’t agree more – LO is that kid with stupid amounts of potential that doesn’t use it.
Good luck with sleeping off the food poisoning! I hope it’s not the kind where your body feels incredibly sore and weak, and if it is, I hope you have good painkillers 😬
Funny you mention LO, we spoke about it at length with an acquaintance this past Sunday, and agree with Janine above, along with the list you provided, I truly think Financial Literacy should be a real subject or part of LO as it is necessary to function post high school for all students hey.
Believe it or not, I was also wiped out by severe food poisoning, without causing panic, I truly think it’s a water issue at this point, as I know 10 other people this happened to since Sunday to date, the stomach cramps are the worst though. Hope you feel better soonest.
P.S. My Dr gave me an awesome cocktail of non-prescription meds that helped me last year too.
Funny you should say that. Your list was just the beginning for my Mazars Part 2 idea that got shut down a week later by my previously mentioned unruly group members 😅
My idea was to start a Life Skills course offered at private schools for a fee, then to offer it to underprivileged schools for free. As well as have an online course available for those out of school.