Education
Source: IPP Media
Teachers and tutors in different schools and teachers’ colleges have been urged to make sure that they adhere to gender responsive pedagogy when teaching and in the management of their schools so as to encourage girls aim high in education to realize their dreams.
The call was given by the chairperson of the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE-Tanzania Chapter) in Morogoro, Winifrida Rutaindurwa during a gender responsive pedagogy (GRP) consultative meeting.
Experience shows that teachers’ skills and knowledge to teach with a gender eye enables him or her to understand and address the specific needs of boys and girls inside and outside the classroom situation, while the lack of it has caused many girls to feel inferior in class, perform badly and sometimes drop out of school.
“We want teachers to know that it is vital to use using gender-responsive pedagogy in aspects such as teaching and learning materials, lesson plans, use of language in the classroom, as well as classroom interaction,” she said.
Other spheres where gender sensitivity counts include classroom set-up, management of sexual maturation and school management systems, as these are vital for girls’ self esteem and thus success and development in education, the activist underlined.
Teachers must strive to teach with a gender eye, asking questions, encouraging them to engage in science subjects, seek a better selection of textbooks and shun gender stereotypes that could inhibit their progress and learning process.
For her part, FAWE Tanzania project officer Anita Masaki explained that a deep understanding of gender-responsive pedagogy (GRP) was important for teachers because unlike boys, girls face many problems ranging from home activities to school learning infrastructures which need teachers’ continuous support.
Some girls especially those living with irresponsive parents and guardians would be given heavy domestic work at home such as washing clothes or piled up utensils and go late to school or sleep in class due to fatigue, she said, noting that inarticulate teachers often punish them instead of seeking to know their problems and helping them.
FAWE-Tanzania national coordinator Neema Kitundu urged participants to become active agents for change by committing themselves to the course of GRP and transmit such skills and knowledge gained to colleagues.
Other education stakeholders also need to support the initiative so that it could benefit the entire community and enhance progress to realize desired results.
FAWE recognizes the importance of the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiatives (UNGEI) which formed the basis of the Tanzania Girls’ Education Initiatives (TGEI), intended to enhance the capacity of partners and stakeholders to promote girls’ education.
With support from UNICEF, FAWE-TZ takes the lead as secretariat to support the setting up of the Tanzania Girls in Education Initiatives (TGEI), enabling education stakeholders to collectively take forward efforts to promote girls’ education in various regions.