National coalition on gender transformative education position paper

“Realizing Gender Transformative Education in Ghana: The surest way for Equitable Social Justice”.

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 Examples of Issues of Disparities

STUDENT ENROLLMENT:

Primary and Junior High School: Enrollment rates at these levels are close to gender parity, with more girls than boys enrolled overall.

Senior High School: The gender ratio is estimated to be 68 girls to every 100 boys.

Tertiary Education: Male enrollment is significantly higher than female enrollment, with male students outnumbering female students by a factor of more than five.

Gender Leadership: A recent survey by SLIG, a non-profit girls empowerment organisation shows a ratio of 1 girl to 100 boys.

STUDENTS COMPLETION:

Primary and Junior High School: Completion rates are also close to gender parity, with slightly higher rates for girls.

Senior High School: Completion rates are lower for girls than for boys, with the gap widening as students progress through the later stages of school.

3.0 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 practices where GTE issues are concerned;

(iii) Contributing to ensuring effective links between stakeholders working to advance education in Ghana.

4.0 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: 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 equitably.

• Gender-Neutral Education: The system fails to credibly recognize and acknowledge the different needs, roles, experiences, and vulnerabilities of each gender. Hence, everything is clustered, making accessibility difficult and creating unsafe school environments.

• Gender Gender-Sensitive Education: This is mainly about identifying vulnerabilities, the different needs of learners, and redefining our attitudes to help make the lessons as inclusive as possible and safe for all learners irrespective of their situations, background, language, demographics, or state of affairs.

• Gender Transformative Education: This is the surest way to outsmart gender disparities, create a safe environment for all genders, 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.

5.0 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.

6.0 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.

7.0 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.

8.0 Conclusion:

Gender transformative education is a critical tool for addressing gender inequality in Ghana. By challenging gender stereotypes, promoting gender equality, and empowering 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.

Others:

• Access to Resources: Girls from rural areas and low-income families are more likely to face barriers to education, such as lack of access to schools, transportation, and sanitary facilities.

• Teacher Training: Teachers may not be adequately trained to address gender issues in the classroom, which can perpetuate gender stereotypes and biases.

• Social Norms: Traditional gender roles and expectations can limit girls' educational opportunities, particularly in rural areas.

Sources:

1. Africa Education Watch : https://africaeducationwatch.org/publication/gender-transformative-education-guidance-note

2. Unicef: https://www.unicef.org/reports/gender-transformative-education

3. Plan International: https://plan-international.org/publications/gender-transformative education/#:~:text=Gender%2Dtransformative%20education%20moves%20beyond,men%20over%20girls%20and%20women.

4. Oxfam: https://policy-practice.oxfam.org/resources/transforming-gender-inequalities-practical-guidance-for-achieving-gender-transf-621183/

5. Business and Finance Times: https://thebftonline.com/2022/09/13/formalise-gender-transformative-education-initiatives-to-sustain-gains-oxfam/

6. Girls' Education | UNICEF Ghana: [https://www.unicef.org/ghana/girls-education](https://www.unicef.org/ghana/girls-education)

7. Girls' Access to Education in Ghana - Ballard Brief - BYU:

[https://ballardbrief.byu.edu/issue-briefs/girls-access-to-education-in-ghana](https://ballardbrief.byu.edu/issue-briefs/girls-access-to-education-in-ghana)

8. Gender Disparities in Education, Health, and Labour Force Participation in Ghana - IUSSP: [https://iussp.org/sites/default/files/Brazil2001/s60/S63_P06_Boadu.pdf](https://iussp.org/sites/default/files/Brazil2001/s60/S63_P06_Boadu.pdf)

9. Gender Inequality in Basic Education in the Northern Region of Ghana: Household and Contextual Factors in Perspectives:

[https://www.ajol.info/index.php/gjds/article/view/125127/114659](https://www.ajol.info/index.php/gjds/article/view/125127/114659)

10. Gender Disparities in Ghana's Tertiary Education System - ERIC: [https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1341788.pdf](https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1341788.pdf)