Capacity building for gender equity and inclusion in Caribbean schools

 

Boys’ educational underachievement has represented a policy issue for decades in the East Caribbean region. Data shows young men have higher dropout rates and lower graduation rates in secondary school than young women. Gender norms affect individual outcomes of girls/women and boys/men in different ways, with the current stereotype of masculinity being incongruent with academic achievement and school engagement.

This project aims to implement, evaluate and expand a comprehensive whole-school approach aimed at enhancing gender-responsive and inclusive teaching and learning practices within Caribbean educational systems in Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Dominica. It will generate evidence on perceived gender norms within schools, promoting gender equity and inclusive learning. This data will serve to inform educational dialogues, planning processes and decision-making within the education sector.

The project will also create gender-sensitive and inclusive learning materials and methodologies that cater to diverse learning styles and preferences among students. It will establish communities of practice comprising principals, administrators and teachers. These forums will serve as platforms for sharing knowledge, experiences and capacity-strengthening on the model, its adaptations and underlying conceptual principles. Finally, it will support ministries of education in the design, adaptation, costing and assessment of scalable pathways for implementing gender equity and inclusive education innovations within their systems.

This initiative is supported under the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) Knowledge and Innovation Exchange, a joint endeavour between the GPE and IDRC to connect expertise, innovation and knowledge to help low- and middle-income countries build stronger education systems and accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goal on education.