AN EVALUATION OF HEALTH EDUCATION TRAINING PROGRAMME OF THE AFRICAN REGIONAL HEALTH EDUCATION CENTRE (ARHEC), UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN, IBADAN, NIGERIA, 1975-1989

Abstract

The African Regional Health Education Centre (ARHEC), which was founded in 1975, is the first of its kind for the preparation of professional health educators in Africa. The training programme has gone through 15 years without an empirical evaluative study on which improvements in the training programme could be based. Operating initially as a collaborative programme of the University of Ibadan, Ibadan, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Federal Ministry of Health, Nigeria, it has now become a regular academic programme of the University. A total of 408 undergraduate diplomas (ADHE), 85 postgraduate Master of Public Health Education have been admitted into the programme up to the 1989/90 academic year. The programme has three elements, namely, curriculum development, research and services, with clearly stated goals and objectives. In this study, four evaluation levels viz: Context, Input, process and product are considered in relation to the stated goals and objectives. Indicator for measurement of achievement for each objective are compiled. Thus the focus of the study is on the four levels of evaluations. The study involves the use of structured questionnaires, focus group discussion and reviews of record to collect quantitative and qualitative data which were analysed to determine the Ievel of performance of the programme. The purpose of this study is mainly to assess the progress made toward the attainment of stated objectives through four levels of evaluation - context, input, process and product. Based on the findings recommendations as to the actions that will promote the quality of the training programme were made. The findings of the study include the following: ARHEC has trained 408 ADHE, 85 MPH and 36 Ph.D students since its inception in 1975. After the training, 3 main functions were performed by graduates of ARHEC. These functions are; School health education, Patient education and, Community mobilization. The programme has serviced 16 African countries including Nigeria. More than 72% of the students population come from Nigeria. The employers of most of the graduates expressed satisfaction with the knowledge and skills acquired In health education and are willing to continue to support their employees for the course In the future. The communities In which students practice health education during the course, have expressed satisfaction with the collaboration between ARHEC and themselves towards solving community problems. Constraints of the programme among others include inadequate supervision of fieldwork by staff because of lack of transport to do so. Teaching aids are rarely available. Chairs, tables and other teaching materials are grossly inadequate. Some of the suggestions Include: African Regional Office of WHO should work out a way of decentralising the training of professional health educators by helping to establish other sub-regional centres for training in health education; African Regional Office of WHO to assist National Government with Fellowships for deserving candidates of their country of origin; The annual subvention to ARHEC by the Federal Ministry of Health should be reviewed upwards.