By Agnes Ansah, GNA
Accra, June 17, GNA – A Gender Responsive Pedagogy (GRP) training programme for tutors from Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions and technical universities has opened in Accra with a call to mainstream gender issues in classrooms and workshops.
The two-day training programme was organised by the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) Ghana with support from the Mastercard Foundation.
Addressing participants, Mrs Marian Akuorkor Tackie, Board Chair of FAWE Ghana, said the programme aimed to equip educators with the skills and knowledge needed to train learners using gender-responsive pedagogy to promote inclusiveness and equity.
The training was to empower participants to enable them to also train their learners in gender-responsive pedagogy to ensure inclusiveness, equity and safe learning environments for all learners, she said.
Mrs Tackie noted that although significant progress had been made towards achieving gender equity, harmful gender norms and stereotypes continued to persist and hinder national development.
Referring to traditional gender roles, she said many people still held the misconception that certain occupations and responsibilities were reserved for men and boys, while others were meant exclusively for women and girls.
Such mindsets, she noted, undermined efforts to achieve gender equity and limit the country’s development potential.
“From our interactions, it is evident that although much has been done and continues to be done, there is still room for improvement because we have not yet reached our goal,” Mrs Tackie said.
“Gender norms, belief systems and misconceptions about the roles that boys and girls, women and men should play in society continue to impede development.”
She called on the Government to mainstream gender studies within the education system to empower both boys and girls to realise their full potential and contribute meaningfully to national development.
Mr Richard Amoani, National Coordinator of FAWE Ghana, said the training was intended to address gaps in how educational institutions responded to the needs of both female and male students.
He identified systemic challenges within tertiary institutions, including teaching methods and illustrations that often portray men as leaders while relegating women to secondary roles.
“The culture is such that we believe men are the leaders, and this perception is reflected in many of our settings, teaching methodologies and even the illustrations we use, which portray men as leaders and women as followers,” he said.
Mr Amoani added that many lecturers lacked a gender perspective, making it difficult for them to adequately respond to the diverse needs of students.
Dr Leticia Effah-Manu, Gender Advocacy and Inclusion Officer at Ho Technical University and facilitator of the training, said gender disparities continued to exist in TVET and tertiary institutions despite years of advocacy and interventions.
She highlighted the “academic housework burden” often placed on female academics and leaders, explaining that women were frequently assigned mentoring and student-support roles that reduced the time available for research and academic publications.
Dr Effah-Manu said addressing the challenge required deliberate and sustained action from institutional management and lecturers.
“There must be gender-responsive management, budgetary allocations to support gender policies, and the intentional integration of gender issues into teaching and learning processes,” she added.
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe
Reporter:Â Agnes AnsahÂ
[email protected]Â