KATHMANDU, NEPAL, JULY 16, 2024 – On July 16, 2024, LIKE Lab convened a Policy Level Meet as part of their ongoing project, “Promoting Gender Equality and Social Inclusion in Schools: Building on What Children Value and Aspire to Do and Be.” The event brought together policymakers, educators, and researchers to discuss and strategize on enhancing gender equality and social inclusion within the educational sector.
The meeting underscored the imperative need to revise school curricula, removing inherent gender biases and stereotypes. This is crucial in our journey towards gender equality and social inclusion. The discussion also emphasized the importance of incorporating comprehensive sexuality education into the curriculum, a topic that many teachers are hesitant to address due to prevailing stigmas. It was uniformly agreed that making teacher training programs mandatory is a key strategy to equip educators with the skills to use gender-sensitive and gender-neutral language, which is crucial in shaping students’ perceptions from an early age.
Additionally, the discussions explored the concept of intersectionality in education for a move beyond a one-size-fits-all approach, thereby acknowledging and addressing the multifaceted identities of students. The notion of the hidden curriculum was explored, with an understanding that both reviewers and recipients of education materials often perpetuate gender stereotypes. The Policy Level Meet was an important step forward in the effort to promote gender equality and social inclusion in schools. The event highlighted the need for collective action and continuous stakeholder dialogue to create an inclusive and equitable educational environment.
