Feature: Selected Sport and Physical Education Career OpportunitiesNo.52
January 2008
 
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Preparing th Health Education Teacher for the Universal Basic Education Program in Nigeria
A. Ajibola Clement

 

Introduction
Following the introduction of Universal Basic Education (UBE) by the present democratic government of Nigeria in 1999, it has become obvious that the school child should be taught basic health knowledge, attitudes, health practices and health skills that facilitate adequate, informed choices in all aspects of life to promote, maintain and develop his personal health, family health, community health and the health of the nation. Olusakin (2001) defines Universal Basic Education as “the base level of education that is designed to satisfy at least the minimum learning needs of the people in general”. Basic need would refer to a need whose satisfaction is central to either the existence or satisfaction of other needs. The scope of the basic education has been highlighted to include: a basic understating of elementary processes of nature, as a pre-requisite of hygiene, health precautions, nutrition, agriculture, livestock-farming and stock piling. It also includes the provision of practical knowledge and skill to enable the pupil (student) to earn his own living, keep his family and run a household (Olusakin, 2001). The UBE declaration in Nigeria is based on the fact that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by UNESCO (1964) has made the acquisition of suitable education a right and not a privilege. In his statement towards the success of UBE in Nigeria, Olusakin (2001) recommended that adequate preparations be done in the area of training enough teachers and school counselors.
However, it is observed that many schools in Nigeria lack adequate equipment as well as trained and qualified teachers to handle this important task. It could therefore result in a child completing UBE education without learning the basic principles, values or lifestyles that would facilitate him/her promoting and maintaining personal health and that of their fellow man. Added to this are health needs of the students not being provided for, to enable adequate concentration during the learning process.
The effectiveness of education in Nigeria, as in other nations, from nursery school to university, is largely dependent on the quality of its teachers (Bucher, 1975; Ajala, 1986, Majasan, 1995, and Ajibola, 1998). A teacher who is to convey health attributes, principles and values to the school children must themself be health conscious and possess the personal interest, attributes, values and principles of promoting and maintaining health so as to do a good job in developing these characteristics in others.
In working to maintain professional status as teachers, the profession must think of cooperating with themselves, employers, teacher trainers and sponsors to put the right calibre of teachers in the classroom to enhance the prestige of a competent and dedicated national team of educators for the purpose of nation building. To become a health education teacher does not only mean to pass through a college of education or university, but it is to teach effectively and efficiency the health concepts, principles and knowledge.
The quality of educational institutions is reflected in the quality of its students. It is therefore of paramount importance to give health education teachers the appropriate processional preparation to make them qualified and efficient for their task. This implies that as the necessary qualities of health education teachers can be learned, then provision for learning them should be included in the teacher education curriculum. A good health education teacher is the product of the quality of education they have received. Potential health teachers must be specifically prepared for their roles since no qualitative activity is achieved in a piecemeal way.
Health is a complex and important subject for an average teacher to handle. Teaching of health requires sensitivity to the very personal nature of the subject; and the awareness of individual health needs, interest, beliefs, prejudices, problems of children and youth, the community and the teachers themselves (Ademuwagun, 1975; Udoh, Fawole, Ajala, Okafor, Nwana and Obanya, 1987), such knowledge can only come when qualified teachers in health education are available in schools to handle the course.

Preparing health teachers
The need for qualified health education teachers is a vital part of the total health/educational workforce of any nation. In preparing the health education teacher, a certain amount of concentrated training and specialization in Health Education is necessary (Ogunsakin, 1984). A majority of teachers in many of the schools, however, are not trained to give adequate and effective health instructions, hence cannot lead the students to acquire and internalize socially acceptable healthful living practices. Consequently, it is only those teachers trained in health education or combined physical and health education that can give adequate and effective health instruction. It is noted that such teachers are few in number among the teaching population in schools, yet health is an aim of achieving other goals in life such as prevention of illness and maintaining and promoting health, which is better than trying to find a cure.
Ademuwagun (1973) opined that the foundation for longer, more productive years and for lasting happiness in later life is laid during childhood. Teachers should therefore share in the responsibility of helping, guiding and directing each child to attain his or her highest potential. By being in close, daily contact with students in the classroom, every teacher at the primary school level must see himself or herself as a health educator. At the same time, every prospective health teacher must be well groomed to meet the challenges of health teaching in order to favourably influence health attitudes and behaviour of the learner to inculcate basic/background health values, principles and health knowledge as an aspect of the UBE education.
The World Health Organization (1968) realized and declared that school teachers are considered as health workers; principal collaborators; since they are to present to the school children the elementary ideas of hygiene in their early days, hence, the need to provide teachers with health education. This view is also highlighted in the scope of Universal Basic Education (Olusakin, 2001).
If teachers are not trained to be specialised health teachers, it is necessary to give them health education orientation sufficient to make them more health conscious in their educational activities. To teach effectively, all classroom teachers in the country should know and understand health problems arising from both developmental causes and the ecological relationship of the child and his surroundings (physical and socio-cultural); therefore the health teacher should be competent in the areas of cognitive, affective and psychomotor health domains. This will enhance desired health attitudes and practices.
The dual task of maintaining their own health and to contributing effectively to the health education of their pupils/students suggest the need for knowledge in the following areas:
  • Human growth and development
  • Personal health
  • Environmental health
  • School health program
  • School/community/home relationship
  • Community health
  • Methodology in Health Education
  • (WHO, 1968; Ajibola, 1998; Ajala, 1985 and Udoh, 1980).
It is observed that many health problems that could have been averted if students had adequate health knowledge still exist in schools today. Students have found themselves entangled in such problems due to ignorance. The National Policy on Education has, as one of its objectives in section 1 paragraph 3(6): promotion of the emotional, physical and psychological health of all children (FRN, 1981). When there are competent, conscious teachers to educate, guide and direct children on proper health values, there will be improved sanitation (personal and environmental); good nutrition; good psychosocial relationships; more healthy living; lower or no morbidity hence reduced cost of medical treatments; improved longevity; more healthier and happier lives and productivity; and development of the nation. Problems of drug abuse, drug addiction, alcoholism, cigarette smoking, improper use of contraceptives, indiscriminate indulgence in sex and its associated problems, problems of cultism, school rioting and vandalism will become abated, if not totally eliminated.

Responsibilities of the Class Teacher
The classroom teacher stays with the child and sees the child throughout the school day. There is no other person in the school system better fitted to make significant contribution to the health of the child in the elementary school than the teacher. They are uniquely disposed to observe and compare the child’s health daily. They are therefore vested with the major responsibilities of devising health learning experiences for the children. The classroom teachers must have a warm personality and feeling for children, alongside careful use of observation and must be able to communicate effectively. They must possess great interest in conservation of health, genuine concern for the good health of others, a willingness to update professional knowledge and ability to adjust to positive progressive changes (Ajala, 1986; Balogun, Okon, Musaazi & Tuakur 1981; and Majasan, 1995).

Responsibilities of the Health Educator
The special responsibility of a health educator is to influence behaviour, strengthen desirable practices and foster the substitution of undesirable with desirable health behaviours. It would not be correct to say that all who do some health teaching are regarded or seen as health educators. The health education teacher is a special person, uniquely prepared for the task of providing and fostering health education in several aspects of school life. Some positions involve several different roles and this is true of the health education teacher. They are expected to behave in certain patterns associated with their health role. They are expected to play the role of a subordinate to the Head of School on health related matters and adviser to colleagues and other school personnel. Their main role in relation to pupils is education, as they direct the health education learning process. Their major responsibilities are to:
  • make the school environment pleasant and desirable for the pupils;
  • impart health knowledge and attitudes that will enable the pupils to make intelligent health decisions to facilitate desirable health habits;
  • detect health abnormalities and refer them to proper authorities for appropriate follow up and correction;
  • promote the health of the pupils through the school, home and community operation;
  • appraise the health of every child and make continual observation for deviations;
  • detect symptoms of communicable diseases, isolate the child and assist in understanding the need for isolation;
  • foster the spirit of promoting, maintaining and conserving health in the pupils;
  • take care of first aid and emergency situations;
  • promote and establish a sound emotional school climate, that is conducive to teaching and learning (Ajibola, 1998).
With the above responsibilities, they will always be content in seeing the learner doing what is desirable for the conservation of health. In such situations, the benefit is two-fold; personal satisfaction to the health education teacher and personal satisfaction to the learner.

Qualification of Health Education Teachers
A. Personal Qualification
A person desiring to be a health educator must possess a strong interest in health conservation. They must have a genuine interest in and concern for the good health of other people, a desire to keep up to date on professional matters, the willingness and ability to change with progress. Perhaps more than any other teacher, they must be able to communicate effectively in a manner that motivates others to action (Ajala, 1986).
The personality attributes required of health education teachers are the same for any other legal social gathering because the teachers are group leaders in their respective classrooms. Some such traits are: initiative; keenness; flexibility; firmness; honesty; respect; judgment; discipline; sympathy; foresight; courage; creativity; intellectual competence; good human relations; patience and acting as ‘loco parentis’ in the school. Provision for leaning these personality attributes should be included in the teacher education curriculum (Bucher, 1975; Majasan, 1995).

B. Health Education Teacher Certification
It is educationally imperative that the health education teacher should be professionally exposed to the various health needs, interests, beliefs, prejudices and problems of the pupils and problems common among the school personnel at every level of the educational system. Their qualification must back them up in these major areas of operation as a health education teacher. They should be competent in: health education (health instructions), school health services, and healthful school living (Bucher, 1975).
  1. Health Education: The health educator should be knowledgeable in well functional health teaching and its implication for different students at different levels and should be familiar with health curriculum and materials.
  2. School health services: The health educator should be knowledgeable concerning what constitutes adequate health care personnel and should be skilled in establishing school health policies for various health services, using health appraisal techniques, correcting, encouraging and seeking correction of health problems; and work with parents and the community in promoting health.
  3. Healthful school living: It is also the role of the health education teacher to know about the various opportunities in and around the school that promote healthful living and be interested in improving both the physical environment of the school, the psychological setting and the total school climate to bring about healthy living in the school (Bucher, 1975; Udoh, et al, 1987; Moronkola, 2003)
The teaching profession in Nigeria must recognise the worth or the need of the health education teacher and give them an equal opportunity to learn and become competent in these areas by providing the prospective health education teacher with selected functional experiences that will enhance his job.

The nature of certification
The certification of health education teachers has, over the years, been joint certification in physical and health either at teachers’ Grade II Certificate, NCE or at Degree level. Presently, the certification requirement of health education teachers is undergoing significant change. Qualification requirements are now certified in the form of course credits to specific skills, knowledge and other competencies (Bucher, 1975, Bucher, 1979; Ajibola, 1998). It is gratifying for the Nigeria educational system to note that several Colleges of Education and Universities with departments of physical and health education are no longer accepting joint majors in physical and health education but accept physical education; and health education as separate major disciplines. With this separation, one can then say that this type of certificate encourages the teachers to specialise either in physical education or health education at degree level while strengthen them in both areas at NCE level.

Courses for Certification
The task of influencing behaviour of people toward desirable health behaviour in all aspects of life boils down to one of applied physiology, however, the procedure must have their foundation in scientifically sound health facts. Hence, the health educator’s need for a life sciences and behavioural sciences background of professional experiences along with teaching experience (Bucher, 1975).
A program of college studies in preparation for health education teaching should involve three aspects: general background studies; professional education and field of specialisation; and teaching practice.
  1. General education experiences: Health education teachers program must provide potential health educators with knowledge and skills in communicative arts, understanding of sociological principles, an appreciation of the history of peoples with their Social, Racial, and Cultural characteristics, population dynamics, the Nigerian Social System, Human Groups and Leadership qualities of the country, coexistence among nations, economics and indices of developments; the media and society, fine and practical arts that afford a means of expression, communication, a mean of releasing emotions, a medium for richer understanding of life and a medium for promoting mental health; proficiency in English and Mathematical expressions are essential.
  2. Professional education: Behavioural sciences are especially important for the health education teacher. Courses in educational psychology offer experience in psychology of learning, human growth and development, child and adolescent psychology, adulthood and ageing education, education measurements and mental health. Health education courses offer learning experiences/awareness of personal health problems, school health problems, nutrition, health administration, human biology (anatomy and physiology). Courses in curriculum should offer learning experiences in principles of curriculum construction, the school curriculum, a study of the curriculum in the specific field, and extra curriculum activities. Courses in foundations of education provide learning experiences in history of education, principles of education, philosophy of education, comparative education, educational sociology and educational technology. Courses in guidance and counselling are provided to expose the prospective teacher to the principles of guidance, counselling, vocational guidance, educational guidance, research in education, and students/personnel problems.
  3. Field of specialization: Prospective health educators must be provided with experiences with major emphasis on health education; bacteriology, chemistry, microbiology, biology and chemistry, psychology; sociology, mental health, adolescent psychology, human anatomy and physiology, child growth and development, personal/community health, food and nutrition, consumers’ health, family health, first aid and sports injuries, accident prevention and safety education, communicable diseases, health education in elementary and secondary schools, international health, organisation and administration of health education, supervision of school health programs, environmental health, kinesiology, occupational and industrial health, rehabilitation of the handicapped, epidemiology and public health.
  4. Teaching Practice: Credit hours must be provided for prospective teachers to learn responsible classroom teachings.
Unless the biological and behavioural sciences are coordinated to include health education at all levels of education, and those sciences coordinated by qualified health educators, the achievement of Universal Basic Education may not become a reality. Olusakin (2001) recommended that adequate preparation for UBE should be made in the area of training enough teachers and counselors and these must include training of health education teachers. Health is important. Provision for good health must be given its basic foundation right from the pre-primary and primary (elementary) school. Various governments, authorities, administrators, Head of schools and principals in their coordination should make health a priority, hence should give adequate space and time in the time table for health education; and non qualified teachers should not be allowed to handle the subject. Another way of preparing teachers to solve the problem of shortage of health education staff is to encourage and sponsor interested members of staff for in-service training in health education courses.

Conclusion
The task of influencing behaviours of people to desirable health behaviours needs qualified and dedicated personnel. Teachers should be professionally qualified so as to protect pupils from poorly prepared and inefficient health teachings. There is need for specific and systematic preparation of teachers in health education in the general teacher training program. These groups of professional teachers will diligently take care of prevailing health problems in schools; and also inculcate into each child the necessary basis of health according to the level of education and maturity of the child. This will enable children to take immediate and later responsibilities for both personal and community health.

Recommendations
Health education in our schools need immediate and long ranging plans and attention. Believing that the Government, at various levels, will receive suggestions for quality health, the following recommendations are forwarded.
  1. Pre-service preparation of health education teachers be broad based education, taking into consideration the cognitive, psychomotor and affective domain of learning experiences which should cover areas in the general background of education, professional education, field of specialisation and teaching practice.
  2. The three-tiers of Government (Local, State and Federal) health and educational bodies should continually sponsor workshops and conferences for health education experts and classroom teachers to review the health education curriculum from time to time to meet the present health needs and interest of the nation.
  3. Higher institutions with programs in preparation of health education teachers should be identified and supported with adequate funds to organise and administer the program to bring out quality teachers.
  4. Monetary grants be provided by the Federal or State Government to the Local Governments to employ qualified health educators or health coordinators to work with classroom teachers in developing health education in the school. However, such a person should not replace a staff member or regular classroom teacher.
  5. Seminars, workshops, conferences and in-service training programs be organised for teachers on the job to update their basic health knowledge.
  6. Scholarships should be awarded to health educators on training to bring out a body of personnel that will help other people to make adequate health choices/decisions in all aspects of life so as to prevent illness and disease rather than treating it.

References
Ademuwagun, Z.A. (1973). Preparation of teachers in health education at the university level in Nigeria. International Journal of Education, XIV.
Ademuwagun, Z.A. (1975). Preparing the physical and health education teachers for secondary schools in developing countries. West African Journal of Education, XIX (1), 118.
Ajaja, J.A. (1986). Teacher preparation in health education. Journal of School Health Education, 1, 39.
Balogun, A.A., Okon, S.E., Musaazi, C.S. & Thakur, A.S. (1981). Principle and practice of education. Lagos: Macmillan Nigeria Publisher Limited.
Bucher, C.A. (1975). Administration of health and physical education programmes including athletics (6th ed). Saint Louis: The C. V. Mosby Company.
Bucher, C.A. (1979). Foundations of physical education. (8th ed.) St. Louis: The C. V. Mosby Company.
Federal Republic of Nigeria (1981). National Policy on Education. (Revised) Section 1, Paragraph 3 (6).
Majasan, J.A. (1995). The teachers profession. Ibadan: Spectrum Books Limited.
Moronkola, O.A. (2003). School health programme. Ibadan: Royal People (Nigeria) Limited.
Ogunsakin, A.E. (1984). Health education knowledge test for Grade II teachers. Ilorin Journal of Education. 4 (71).
Olusakin, A.M. (2001). School Counselling and Primary School teachers perception of the essential requirements for successful implementation of the Universal Basic Education (UBE) Programme. Lagos Journal of Educational Research, LAJER, 1 (1) 28-41.


Contact
Dr. A. Ajibola Clement
Physical and Health Education Unit
University of Calabar
Calabar, Nigeria
Email: perryeaa@yahoo.com





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