Why non-violence & respectful relationship at school is the key to academic success?

A good relationship at home between parents and children, at school between learners and teachers, or between learners with other learners, all need to be connected with a good foundation that is made of respect. When people respect each other, they are more likely to work together towards common goals, solve problems collaboratively, and support each other, however; some cultures, values, beliefs, personal perceptions and certain lifestyles may sometimes cause bullying, violence, and harassment in the course of interaction and relationship.

A recent collaborated study led by UNESCO on Knowledge, Attitude and Practice related to HIV, Sexual Reproductive Health, and Gender Based Violence among School Children in Tanzania Mainland (KAP 2022), revealed that the majority of learners (50+%) had a low level of correct knowledge on Gender-Based Violence related issues. Furthermore, over a quarter (25.6%; n = 1,100) of learners had either been raped and/or sodomized and/or experienced sexual violence.

According to the comprehension that learners learn best in schools that provide safety, protection, and social support, UNESCO, the Tanzania Institute of Education (TIE) and the Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC) entered into a partnership to scale up the implementation of Connect with Respect program that aims to improve the learning environment through building skills for Respectful and Non-Violent Relationships in Tanzanian schools to ensure that adolescents and young people achieve their education outcome without any restrictions.

UNESCO, through this intervention, has supported the development and dissemination of 2000+ copies of curriculum support and teaching materials and training of 21,000 in-service teachers on Connect with Respect education for primary and secondary schools. This has led to the introduction of Connect with Respect in more than 2,317 schools in 20 regions, reaching more than 1.3 million school children.  

Connect with Respect teaching content is also available online for easy access anytime anywhere through the Tanzania Institute of Education’s learning management system and the content was adapted to suit the needs of learners with disabilities.

“Connect with Respect has helped us to understand a better way to communicate with students while teaching. We as teachers have adopted to use of friendly language to encourage students to positively participate in classrooms” - Sijachuma Mgalawachi, a teacher