The discussion of education, gender, and development has long included the role of education in achieving gender equality. This discussion aims to advance gender equality and empower women, with education being seen as playing a key role. Governments and policymakers place a strong emphasis on achieving gender equity in enrolment and achievement rates. How gender equality is to be achieved and promoted through education is not as much of a priority.
Educational curriculum isn't typically assessed in terms of the attitudes, prejudices, and stereotypes that it might contain and spread. Despite rising levels of gender parity among students attending schools worldwide, there is evidence of gender inequality and discrimination, including gender-based violence. The message is crystal clear: the promise of gender equality in education must be realized before it can be fully realized in every facade of society. Efforts to enrol more girls in school still fall short of ensuring that they receive education in a gender-equal environment.
A multifaceted strategy is required to achieve gender equality through education. There is evidence of successful small-scale programs that promote gender-equal ideas and practices into classrooms all across the world. However, in order to overcome gender biases that contribute to gender-based inequities that are pervasive in society, it may be helpful to examine the curriculum across all grades in schools. Although the materials in subjects such as math and science may appear to be gender neutral, it might still contain gender prejudices. For instance, there can be an insignificant proportion of female scientists in a textbook when compared to male scientists. Or, despite the fact that there are many female role models in the world, the majority of influential persons represented in textbooks are sill predominantly male. Therefore, it is important to review textbooks for gender sensitivity.
The activities that take place in a classroom have a significant impact on how students learn. The teacher-student relationship and interactions between students of different genders in the classroom are crucial from a gender perspective. For instance, internalized gender stereotypes may explain why male students frequently participate more actively than female students during class discussions and debates. It is, therefore, necessary to address these undercurrents of classroom dynamics because they may undermine the overall objective of inclusive education programs. Teachers can use micro strategies like encouraging students of both genders to speak up in class, express their thoughts, and take charge of class activities.
It is crucial to create an environment that is supportive of gender equality in education for students. The important players in an education system could either help or hinder achieving gender equality, which is what the recommended remedies aim to do through education. As a result, these stakeholders must be evaluated and trained in order for them to support the movement towards gender equality.
One cannot overstate the importance of teachers in the learning process. Their engagement has a crucial role in changing students' attitudes around gender. Gender must be incorporated as a cross-cutting element across all courses in teacher education programs. It is necessary to receive training in gender-sensitive teaching, work with students of all genders, and support their efforts to overcome gender preconceptions. The link between actions at the policy level and on-the-ground measures is crucially formed by school heads. The head of school has a significant role to play in integrating gender equality into school procedures. To effectively teach lessons about gender equality, goal-setting for initiatives and reforms at the school level must follow larger-scale policy. In order to ensure that parents are on board with the initiatives schools are taking to affect gender equality lessons, schools can hold seminars and interactive sessions with parents.
Since gender-based discrimination frequently starts at home, it is crucial that parents are aware of attitudes and behaviours that can be gender-unequal. There are many ways to educate students about gender issues and promote gender awareness. Awareness workshops and activities can expand students' understanding and can be extremely important in helping them change their attitudes and behaviours, which will ultimately have a significant impact on how they behave.
It would be naive to assume that the implementation of the above-discussed methods will immediately change the status quo with regard to gender inequality. The key to trying to change attitudes and mind sets passed down through generations would be consistency in interventions. Attitudes and mind sets are heavily influenced by the deeply ingrained norms and values of any social fabric, which, on average, come from the socio-economic structure of the respective societies. The adoption of well-defined interventions that are directed at the right audience will undoubtedly help to change the current situation; nevertheless, this requires a multifaceted strategy including a variety of players and applying techniques to accomplish the desired outcome.
