25 youth receive training on Gender Transformative Education

Twenty-five representatives of youth networks from the Northern, North East, Savannah, and Oti Regions, have undergone training on Gender Transformative Education (GTE) to whip up their interest towards advocating a gender-sensitive and transformational education system.

The two-day training, held in Tamale, was organised by YEFL-GHANA, a youth-based organisation, as part of its programme to building capacities of young people to claim their rights of gender transformative education.
The project is funded by DANINDA through Oxfam in Ghana.

Mr Albert Akoubila, Education Department Manager of School for Life, a Facilitator, took participants through the meanings and differences of “sex” and “gender” and their impact in society, specifically educational spaces.
He taught them some approaches to gender transformation, which included ensuring equity in accessibility, building gender-sensitive learning environments and surrounding the youth with a supportive community.

He said the issues of fees, distance, societal norms, beliefs, and customs were identified to hinder access to education.

Mr Akoubila said to ensure equitable access in building gender-sensitive environments, support should be given to those who needed it most.

He said, “Community members, school authorities, parents, policy-makers, politicians, traditional leaders, youth groups and other relevant direct and indirect stakeholders should be included in the realisation of this cause.”

He reiterated the need for the participants and other young people to seek community support when tackling issues of GTE, adding “In advocating GTE, what you say is not important, but rather how you say it.”
At the workshop’s close, participants identified issues of GTE and measures to solve them.