The National Coalition on Gender Transformative Education has published a position paper titled “Realizing Gender Transformative Education in Ghana: The Surest Way for Equitable Social Justice” emphasizing the need for a comprehensive Gender Transformative Education (GTE) approach to address gender inequalities in Ghana. Led by Christopher Wisdom Penu and supported by coordinating team members Mahei Barikisu, Richard Kasu, and Susana Ama Gatogo Abban, this paper calls for reformative education policies and practices that challenge entrenched gender stereotypes and foster an inclusive learning environment for all.
1.0 Introduction:
Gender Transformative Education (GTE) is a holistic approach to education that seeks to challenge and dismantle gender stereotypes, norms, and power imbalances. In Ghana, where gender inequality persists in various forms, GTE offers a promising avenue for promoting gender equality, empowering girls and women, and fostering a more inclusive society. Oxfam, a social justice non-profit international organization identified four issues namely Gender Negative education, Gender Neutral Education, Gender Sensitive Education and finally, Gender Transformative Education for which our advocacy is geared towards.
This Article explores the issues and importance of GTE in Ghana, its key components, and the strategies necessary for its successful implementation.
2.0 Objectives of the Coalition:
The key objective of the Coalition is to contribute meaningfully to education development advocacy with the view of influencing policy decisions on Gender Transformative Education (GTE) by:
(i) Mobilizing the expertise of policy advocates to amplify their voices on GTE issues in Ghana;
(ii) Promoting innovation and best practice where GTE issues are concerned;
(iii) Contributing to ensuring effective links between stakeholders working to advance education in Ghana;
3.0 The Need for Gender Transformative Education in Ghana:
Ghana, despite its progress in recent years, continues to grapple with significant gender disparities. Girls, women and persons with disabilities face numerous challenges, including early marriage, sexual harassment, limited access to education, stereotypes, limited employment opportunities, and gender-based violence. These disparities are rooted in deeply ingrained gender stereotypes and discriminatory social norms that perpetuate unequal power relations between boys and girls, persons with disabilities and society, and men and women. These disparities are due to Gender Negative Education where our education system and curriculum do not consider gender at all in designing the school architecture, structures, environments and curriculum. This makes it very difficult for Persons with disabilities, boys and girls to effectively and efficiently benefit from the system equitable. There is also the second issue of Gender-Neutral Education, where the system fails to credibly recognize and acknowledge the different needs, roles, experiences and vulnerabilities of each gender. Hence everything is clustered which makes accessibility difficult and creates unsafe school environments. Then there is the third issue of Gender Sensitive Education this is mainly about identifying vulnerabilities, the different needs of learners and redefining our attitudes to help make the lessons inclusive as possible and safe for all learners irrespective of their situations, background, language, demographics or state of affairs. The fourth leg to this subject is the Gender Transformative Education, which is the surest way to outsmart gender disparities, create safe environment for all Gender and bring about social justice.
According to UNICEF, Gender Transformative Education seeks to utilize all parts of an education system to transform stereotypes, attitudes, norms and practices by challenging power relations, rethinking gender norms and binaries, and raising critical consciousness about the root causes of inequality and systems of oppression.
4.0 GTE is Essential for Addressing the above issues by;
Challenging gender stereotypes: GTE helps to dismantle harmful gender stereotypes that limit the aspirations and opportunities of girls and women, persons with disabilities and boys.
Promoting gender equality: GTE fosters a culture of gender equality by promoting equal rights and opportunities for all.
Empowering: GTE empowers persons with disabilities, boys, men, girls and women to overcome barriers and achieve their full potential.
Creating inclusive and safe learning environments: GTE ensures that educational institutions are safe, inclusive, and free from discrimination.
5.0 Key Components of Gender Transformative Education:
GTE encompasses a range of interrelated components, including:
Gender-sensitive curriculum: The curriculum should be designed to reflect gender diversity, challenge gender stereotypes, and promote gender equality.
Gender-responsive pedagogy: Teachers should employ pedagogical approaches that are inclusive, participatory, and respectful of all students.
Gender-inclusive school environments: Schools should create safe and supportive environments that are free from discrimination and harassment.
Community engagement: GTE should involve communities in promoting gender equality and addressing gender-related issues.
Leadership development: GTE should empower girls and women to become leaders and agents of change.
.6.0 Strategies for implementing Gender Transformative Education in Ghana
To effectively implement GTE in Ghana, the following strategies are essential:
Policy and institutional support: The government should develop and implement policies that support GTE and allocate adequate resources to its implementation.
Teacher training: Teachers should receive training on gender-sensitive pedagogy and curriculum development.
Community involvement: Communities should be actively involved in planning, implementing, and monitoring GTE programs.
Partnerships and collaboration: Partnerships between government agencies, CSOs, Academia and other stakeholders should be fostered to strengthen GTE efforts.
Monitoring and evaluation: GTE programs should be regularly monitored and evaluated to assess their effectiveness and identify areas for improvement.
7.0 Conclusion:
Gender transformative education is a critical tool for addressing gender inequality in Ghana. By challenging gender stereotypes, promoting gender equality, and empowering both girls, boys persons with disabilities and marginalized groups.
GTE can create a more just and equitable society. To achieve this goal, it is essential to implement GTE through a comprehensive and coordinated approach that involves government, schools, CSOs, communities, and other relevant stakeholders.
Prepared by: Christopher Wisdom Penu with support from the coordinating team members; Mahei Barikisu , Richard Kasu and Susana Ama Gatogo Abban
The Authors are members of the Greater Accra Chapter of National Coalition on Gender Transformative Education -an initiative by the Foundation for Security and Development In Africa (FOSDA), Africa Education Watch with support from Oxfam in Ghana.
Reference:
- Africa Education Watch : https://africaeducationwatch.org/publication/gender-transformative-education-guidance-note
- Unicef : https://www.unicef.org/reports/gender-transformative-education
- Plan International: https://plan-international.org/publications/gender-transformative-education/#:~:text=Gender%2Dtransformative%20education%20moves%20beyond,men%20over%20girls%20and%20women.
- Oxfam : https://policy-practice.oxfam.org/resources/transforming-gender-inequalities-practical-guidance-for-achieving-gender-transf-621183/
- Business and Finance Times : https://thebftonline.com/2022/09/13/formalise-gender-transformative-education-initiatives-to-sustain-gains-oxfam/
