Gender equity curriculum in Odisha govt schools soo
India Today
Odisha government schools will soon have a gender equity curriculum to encourage adolescent boys and girls to reflect on the culturally-embedded gender norms, roles and discriminatory practices.
A gender equity curriculum will soon be introduced for Odisha government schools students in order to change their views, aspirations, and behaviour with respect to gender. On Monday in Bhubaneswar, the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-Pal), South Asia, and the women's rights organisation Breakthrough signed an agreement.
According to a formal statement, the new gender equity curriculum includes interactive class discussions to educate adolescent boys and girls to consider the culturally imbedded gender norms, roles, and discriminatory actions.
By August, it will be included in the social studies curriculum for boys and girls in Classes 6 to 10 in more than 18,000 elementary and 5,000 secondary institutions.
"Adolescence presents a crucial window of opportunity to change even deeply-rooted norms and instill more progressive gender attitudes," J-Pal South Asia executive director Shobhini Mukerji said.
Sohini Bhattacharya, the chief executive officer of Breakthrough, emphasised that gender stereotypes are developed at an early age.
"Therefore, we need to ensure that children, especially those between the 10-15 years, have access to the right information related to gender equality, legal rights, and healthy gender behaviours," Bhattacharya said.
"We'll have wide-ranging topics that will be covered in schools as part of this programme in our continued efforts to build a gender-equal world," said Principal Secretary, School Education Secretary Department, Bishnupada Sethi.
