Journal of Resources Development and Management www.iiste.org ISSN 2422-8397 An International Peer-reviewed Journal DOI: 10.7176/JRDM Vol.59, 2019 44 Life Skills Education for Enhancement of Learners’ Wellness in Eswatini: A Case of High School Learners in Shiselweni Region Zanele Precious Simelane Racheal Mafumbate University of Eswatini, Department of Educational Foundations and Management, Faculty of Education Abstract The researchers sought to explore how Life Skills Education enhances learners’ wellbeing. The study adopted a qualitative research approach using a multiple case study design. The study used an integrative lens and was guided by the Wellness theory by Hettler (1996) and Ubuntu theory. The target population were Life Skills Education teachers and high school learners in the Shiselweni region. A purposive sample of three high schools was selected. Data were collected using semi-structured interview guide and focus group discussion guide. Interviews were conducted with a total of nine learners whereas focus group discussions were carried out with twenty Life Skills Education teachers. Data was analysed using thematic analysis. Findings revealed several dimensions in which Life Skills Education enhances learners which include: socially, emotionally, intellectually, and occupationally. It was recommended that 1) the Ministry of Education and Training should consider training teachers who will specialise in teaching Life Skills Education, 2) Life Skills Education be considered a compulsory component in all pre-service teacher preparatory programmes, and that 3) mechanisms be put in place to ensure appropriate identification of teachers who will teach Life Skills Education. Keywords: Life skills, Life Skills Education, wellness, enhancement DOI: 10.7176/JRDM/59-06 Publication date:September 30 th 2019 Introduction Life Skills preparation for adulthood is a crucial, yet overlooked concept in education. In schools across the United States for example, young adults graduate from high schools with limited knowledge regarding how to navigate through the expectations of the real world (Cassidy, 2018). In our highly competitive and rapidly changing world, it is increasingly critical that learners enter into adulthood with skills for lasting success. Education, though constantly evolving, has one primary goal: to prepare learners to be independent and responsible members of society (Meier & Naude, 2017). WHO (2011) observes that young people are not sufficiently equipped with Life Skills Education to help them deal with increased demand and stress they experience. Parental influence in moulding moral and social values and the traditional school curriculum are seemingly becoming increasingly incapable of equipping young people with the skills needed to face real life (Wairimu, 2015). To make the life of adolescents valuable, and to convert them to individuals with high potential, there is need for the educational system to be reformed, giving due importance to Life Skills Education. KICD (2009) defines life skills as psychosocial competencies which enable an individual to develop adaptive and positive behaviour so as to deal effectively with challenges and demands of everyday life. Life Skills Education aims at providing a deeper understanding of life skills especially in the case of adolescents (Chaudhary, Mehta, & Kapadia, 2012). The subject is aimed at guiding and preparing learners for life and its possibilities, including equipping them for a meaningful and successful living in a rapidly transforming society (Meier & Naude, 2017). Through Life Skills Education, learners are exposed to a range of knowledge, skills and values that strengthen their physical, social, personal, emotional, and cognitive development. Moreover, the programme provides individuals with strategies to make healthy choices that contribute to a meaningful life (Parvarthy & Renjith, 2015). The major set of life skills include: decision-making, creative thinking, critical thinking, effective communication, interpersonal relationship skills, self-awareness, empathy, coping with emotions, and coping with stress (WHO, 2011). In most countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, schools are in struggle to expand appropriate learning and life skills programmes (UNESCO, 2012). Countries are increasingly signalling the importance of equipping young people with knowledge and skills to make responsible choices in their lives. Uganda, for instance, produced a booklet: Life Skills Education Resource Booklet: Helping Young Ugandans to be strong and make choices for a bright and safe future (UNESCO, 2015). This was a deliberate attempt to encourage all people who worked with children and adolescents to adapt a Life Skills Education approach to their work. In Eswatini too, policy makers and youth-serving professionals are grappling with how best to address the wide- ranging needs of young people (WHO, 2012). The underlying assumption is that empowering young people to make informed decisions about their own lives and helping them develop critical thinking skills will result in better lives. In 2011, the Ministry of Education and Training through the director’s office launched the Guidance and Counselling panel to develop a syllabus that will be age-specific in its approach, and will handle Guidance and Counselling, Health Promotion including HIV/AIDS, and Life Skills Education in all secondary/high