1.5 Children's rights

Life orientation

Grade 5

Health and diseases

Module 6

Children’s rights and responsibilities

Revise the 12 rights and responsibilities of learners on page 11. These have already been attended to in Grade 4. A very important aspect of these rules is that certain responsibilities are expected of you and that you must also respect the rights of other learners, your educators and your parents.

Activity:

To consider the rights and responsibilities of learners

[lo 1.4]

The class is divided up into four groups. Two groups each discuss six of the twelve rights of learners and two groups each discuss six of the twelve responsibilities. It is important that you should realise that with each right there is also a responsibility. After the discussion the first group tell how they feel about the six rights that they have discussed. This is followed by the opinions of the group who have discussed the six corresponding responsibilities. The remaining two groups follow in the same way.

( a ) The rights of learners

1. To be educated and to develop spiritually and physically

2. To be nurtured and guided by adults

3. To be treated fairly and with respect

4. To have access to information

5. To have the opportunity to make a contribution to society

1. To be in a safe environment in which learning is promoted

7. To develop at one’s own pace

8. To aim at the highest standards

1. To be treated as an individual
2. To be taught by trained teachers

11. To be taught, and to be allowed to speak, in the language of one’s choice

12. To be allowed to express one’s culture and religious beliefs freely.

( b ) Responsibilities of learners:

1. To listen, to learn, and to be prepared to be educated
2. To respect and support adults

3. To treat others with dignity and respect and to be sensitive of protecting their rights

4. To allow others, and to help them, to communicate

5. To be taught together with others, and to help them to learn

6. To co-operate with others and to ensure a safe environment

7. To observe, allow for and respect differences in other people

8. To have access to information and to work diligently

9. To respect other people as individuals

10. To be willing to be educated, to co-operate and to listen with concentration

11. To learn to accept other peoples’ language differences

12. To be willing to accept and respect other people’s cultural and religious convictions, and to help protect them.

Assessment

LO 1

HEALTH PROMOTION

The learner will be able to make informed decisions regarding personal, community and environmental health.

We know this when the learner:

1.1 explores and reports on ways to protect the quality of food and water in various contexts;

1.2 investigates a local environmental health problem using different data sources, and plans a strategy to address the problem;

1.3 recognises the symptoms and causes of locally occurring diseases and discusses prevention strategies;

1.4 explains the individual health and social effects of substance abuse.

Memorandum

Life Orientation for Grade 5 consists of a number of modules focussing on:

1. Health and diseases
2. Social development: rights and responsibilities
3. Personal development

4. Physical development and movement

The first modules, 1-7, prepare the learners to be responsible consumers and to make sound, informed choices regarding their own diets. They are also made increasingly aware of health risks in their own environment and of their responsibilities regarding the maintenance of balanced ecosystems. While there was merely a brief reference to certain children’s rights in Grade 4, the Grade 5 learners are now given the opportunity to focus on their rights and duties as citizens of the country. The sensitive issue of child abuse is also broached. Educators must realise that they have a great responsibility as consultants, confidants and counsellors in this regard. It is here that serious problems can be identified and prevented. It is essential that educators should know the correct procedure should they have to deal with a case of child abuse. During discussions on contagious diseases educators are also in a position to play an important role in preventing life-threatening diseases such as TB, cholera and aids by approaching these topics with the necessary seriousness.