Unesco launches projects on gender equality in schools

Teachers must be well versed in gender responsiveness, which in turn requires skilled teacher-training staff and an environment that prioritises equal opportunities for all students. 

A project coordinated by Unesco Bangkok, which is being launched in Beijing, aims to accelerate gender responsiveness in schools by approaching the issue in each of these areas.

This initiative was launched alongside another led by Unesco Paris focusing on improving gender-sensitive education in Africa at the “International Seminar on Girls’ and Women’s Education” in Beijing this week. 

The Unesco Bangkok-led project will work on developing national capacities to formulate gender-sensitive teacher policy, as well as develop the ability of school leaders, teacher-training staff, teachers and trainees to take the lead in creating gender-responsive teaching and learning environments in Cambodia, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Uzbekistan.

The Unesco Paris project will focus on strengthening gender-sensitive education in Ethiopia and Ghana. Education ministries, teacher-training institutes, secondary schools and relevant education centres in the project countries will be the beneficiaries and partners in the projects. Both projects were established under the Unesco-HNA Funds-in-Trust (HFIT) and will be implemented over five years with a budget of US$5 million (Bt179 billion) from the HFIT.