An innovative civic education programme has become the first in Africa to attain national accreditation.
The unique National HIGHER HEALTH Civic Education and Health Skills Programme was developed in South Africa by HIGHER HEALTH, an agency of the Department of Higher Education Training.
The programme’s co-curriculum is designed to address the many personal and social challenges facing youth – and the world – today. Modules cover issues related to civic engagement; peer education; gender diversity and equality; mental health; disability; communicable diseases; alcohol dependence and substance abuse.
The co-curriculum is conducted independently of the academic curriculum.
After a rigorous review process, the National HIGHER HEALTH Civic Education and Health Skills Programme has been accredited at NQF Level 5, making it the first civic education programme to achieve this level of recognition throughout Africa.
The programme was launched by Minister of Higher Education and Training, Dr Blade Nzimande at Mamelodi today.
Minister Nzimande said the programme will be of great benefit to individuals and to the nation.
“The curriculum is designed to instil and develop the core civic values which underpin our democracy among our youth, giving them a strong foundation to express and defend their democratic rights as they take their place in the economy and in society,” said Minister Nzimande.
“The curriculum develops good citizenship values among our youth, like respect and compassion for each other, community-building, volunteerism and commitment to advancing social causes. These are the values we need to strengthen and protect our democracy into the future.”
HIGHER HEALTH CEO Professor Ramneek Ahluwalia said the formal accreditation of the course allows students who complete it to include the qualification on their CVs, making them more employable.
“This is the first civic education course in Africa which has been designed to build good citizenship and graduate attributes to complement hard skills,” said Prof Ahluwalia.
“It is also the first curriculum to be presented in all 11 languages and in sign language, which makes it accessible to all South Africans. The curriculum includes mandatory community service where youth engage with communities to address pertinent social issues.
“This means that the young people who take the curriculum will, for the first time in Africa, have a recognised qualification to affirm their readiness to play a role in improving their communities and building their nation, in addition to their academic qualifications which gives them the skills for fulfilling work,” said Prof Ahluwalia.
HIGHER HEALTH has placed all the content for the curriculum on an online platform which uses artificial intelligence and digital technology to provide easy access to anyone who has a smartphone.
For the past 10 years, HIGHER HEALTH has provided vital services to improve the health and wellbeing of students at 26 public universities, 50 public TVET colleges, nine public CET colleges and 137 private higher education institutions. These services touch the lives of over two-and-a-half million young people on 2200 campuses, enabling them to maintain their physical and mental health while they complete their academic studies.
HIGHER HEALTH has implemented digital platforms for screening and referring students who need specialised assistance. Mobile clinics serve students at remote campuses.
The agency has developed an effective peer-to-peer methodology for transferring knowledge from one student to many quickly and cost-effectively.
“Our peer education strategy is a critical part of building citizenship through volunteerism,” said Prof Ahluwalia. “Students volunteer their time, energy and knowledge to educate 10 peers, expanding the impact of this training programme enormously in a very short time.”
The programme has been designed to tackle a wide range of health, mental and social challenges facing our youth today.
One in three young South African women report acts of sexual violation before they turn 21. One in ten women who report rape are from a tertiary education institution.
Femicide is five times higher in South Africa than the global average.
The module about gender and sexuality is aimed at changing “MENtalities” by raising awareness about the need for men to change their attitudes and end gender-based violence. The module on mental health addresses the reality that one in five young South Africans in higher education suffers from moderate to severe mental health issues.
Issues related to students living with disability are highlighted and other modules address issues of sexuality and sexual and reproductive health and rights and building resilience to the devastating impact of drugs and alcohol abuse.
About one in five young South Africans in higher education suffer from moderate to severe mental health issues and nearly half of all deaths in South Africa in the 15-24-year age group are due to interpersonal violence, suicides, and accidents.
These social issues are tackled in the co-curriculum, giving students the capacity to overcome them.
The curriculum will soon include a module about climate change to address the critical challenges of human survival in the face of global weather disasters.
HIGHER HEALTH’s curriculum also imparts the soft skills that graduates need to complement their academic qualifications. These include active listening, civic responsibility, conflict resolution, creativity and decision-making, digital literacy, teamwork and organisational skills.
“The civic and health curriculum is designed to teach these soft skills in a way that builds a healthy workforce to support a healthy economy,” said Prof Ahluwalia. “Today, employers are looking for these attitudinal skills, in addition to academic qualifications.”
The unveiling of the accredited National HIGHER HEALTH Civic Education and Health Skills Programme includes the launch of the “Each One Teach Ten” campaign, based on HIGHER HEALTH’s unique peer-to-peer method of transferring knowledge quickly.
Each student volunteer who is part of the programme will teach 10 others. This simple and cost-effective participatory pedagogy can be extended to any training or civic education programme.
“Research shows that students retain more of what they learn when they teach others,” said Prof Ahluwalia.
“Our peer-to-peer training method amplifies the reach and impact of the curriculum and enhances the role of higher education to undertake community engagement. It enables the process of building communities through instilling the values of good citizenship.
“Ultimately, the National HIGHER HEALTH Civic Education and Health Skills Programme means that every young South African student in the post-schooling education and training system will be equipped to make a valuable contribution to the economy and to building their communities and strengthening the bonds that keep society together.”