91Â鶹¹ú²ú¾«Æ·×ÔÅÄ

UNESCO, with the support of the Equitable Education Fund (EEF) of Thailand and additional partners, hosted the 10th Meeting of the Equitable Education Alliance (EEA), via virtual conferencing, on 29 February 2024. Highlighting the theme ‘Equity in Education for Women and Girls’, the webinar was convened just prior to International Women’s Day 2024 and underscored the persistence of gender disparities in education and women's leadership both globally and regionally. The Meeting also called for the development of gender-transformative education and gender-responsive pedagogies.

Organized by the EEA Secretariat in collaboration with EEA members, the webinar drew 722 registrants and 315 participating attendees and brought together education stakeholders from diverse institutions for their sharing of expertise in equitable education for women and girls. Facilitated by Ms Jael Shisanya, Senior Education Officer, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the event featured presentations by education specialists Ms Justine Sass, Chief of the Section of Education for Inclusion and Gender Equality, UNESCO Headquarters in Paris; Mr Virak Uon, Strategic Education Advisor, VVOB Cambodia; and Ms Jona Turalde, Community, Operations, and Resource Mobilization Lead, Transform Education, United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI). The speakers shared insights into gender equality in education; additionally, Ms Amy Baum, a consultant for UN Women, briefly shared the UN’s Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) in the closing session.

In her opening remarks, Ms Shisanya spoke on the growing global attention towards achieving equitable education for women and girls, commenting that ‘the UN, as well as other education stakeholders, aspires to fulfill commitments on gender equality agenda in the Call to Action on gender from the Transforming Education Summit of 2023.’ Ms Shisanya then provided a brief overview of the webinar's key emphases, stating that the session would highlight the current status in inclusive education as well as review ‘good practices, relevant policies that aim to guarantee girls and women access to education, achievements of progress, learning outcomes, various approaches and strides in improving female literacy, and achievements in eliminating sex disparities in education.’

In her presentation, ‘Leave no one behind: gender-transformative and inclusive education’, Ms Sass reported on educational statistics showcasing substantial advancements worldwide in achieving gender parity from pre-primary to tertiary education. A gradually increasing participation rate of pre-primary education at the global level, which has recently risen from 65 per cent in 2002 to 75 per cent in 2021, points to notable progress made in Azerbaijan, Lao PDR, and especially Bhutan. Regarding gender parity across various education levels, rapid progress in primary and lower secondary education is evident in Central and Southern Asia, while significant strides in tertiary education may be observed in Eastern and South-Eastern Asia. Equally notable, Sub-Saharan Africa has also been making progress on gender parity in tertiary education.

Providing insightful case studies from Cambodia, Lao PDR, Mongolia, Myanmar, and Viet Nam, Ms Sass emphasized that education between girls and boys is actually not as wide as that between urban and rural areas, or between the rich and the poor. As a learner never fits into a single category, it proves necessary to closely consider contextual factors and utilize intersectional data, examining both individual characteristics in tandem with other pertinent aspects such as economic standing and location.

Moreover, Ms Sass provided recommendations from the UN’s Transforming Education Summit (TES; 2022) on advancing girl’s and women’s empowerment in and through education, as well as gender equality. Specifically, she highlighted six specific areas:

1. Gender-transformative education sector plans, budgets, policies and data systems
2. Gender-transformative curricula, teaching materials and pedagogies
3. Ensuring gender parity and non-discrimination at all levels and in all subjects of education
4. Gender-transformative and inclusive learning spaces
5. Cross-sectoral collaboration and meaningful engagement of young people in decision-making
6. Investments that target the most marginalized learners

The presentation further emphasized the multifaceted nature of achieving gender parity and underscored the importance of tailored, inclusive strategies for transforming education globally.

Mr Uon commenced his presentation, ‘School-Related Gender-Based Violence, Gender-Responsive Pedagogy’, by introducing the structure, research focus, and related educational programmes of VVOB Cambodia, outlining the organization’s evolution from its inception in 2003 to the present. Originally VVOB sought to offer contributions to education, agriculture, and health, but has, since 2008, increasingly come to focus on primary and general secondary education. As Mr Uon explained, VVOB Cambodia is dedicated to professional development for both pre-service and in-service teachers, school leadership development, and classroom management, while keenly promoting gender equity. Notably, the organization places a strong emphasis on collaborative efforts with government partners, as it aims to enhance scaling strategies and capacity-building for improved education quality in the country.

Additionally, Mr Uon introduced VVOB Cambodia's flagship project, ‘Teaching for Improved Gender Equality and Responsiveness (TIGER)’, which was established to address school-related gender-based violence (SRGBV) and to foster gender-responsive pedagogies. The TIGER project, initiated as a prototypical endeavor, strives to safeguard children from SRGBV and enhance their participation in various facets of everyday life. Central to this initiative is the prioritization of capacity-development in gender-responsive pedagogy, teaching, and leadership for educators and school leaders.

An especially notable output of the TIGER project is the development of an action guide encompassing basic knowledge of gender, gender-responsive teaching and learning methodology, gender-responsive leadership, and gender-responsive community engagement for not only improving educators’ capacities, but also for expanding the project’s reach across different educational levels. To promote engagement in gender-responsive communities, the project employs various approaches, including the initiatives Radio Broadcasting, Gender Cafe, and Men Dialogue. Additionally, TIGER has launched campaigns against violence targeting women and girls which have yielded impressive outcomes. With support provided by VVOB Cambodia, there are now 105 staff members at Battambang Teacher Education College (BTEC); 762 newly trained gender-responsive teachers, school leaders, and school support committees. In addition, 40 schools have been transformed into centres of excellence for gender-responsiveness.

Ms Turalde began her presentation, ‘Power Shifters - Education Transformers: Young Feminists Transforming Gender Equality in and through Education’, by providing a concise introduction to Transform Education (TE), a coalition of young feminist-led networks hosted by the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI). TE aims to achieve gender equality in and through education, actively mapping out how young people lead initiatives and implement best practices in their local contexts to address gender gaps and advance gender-transformative education. Collaborating closely with Ministries or Departments of Education in various countries, TE advocates for curricula that directly challenge gender norms, and devises innovative solutions through various methods.