Promoting Quality Education Delivery and Safe School Environment
The Gender Centre has started a new 3-year (2012-2014) pilot project titled “Promoting Quality Education Delivery and Safe School Environment”. The overall objective of the project is to promote quality teaching and learning through improved community participation in education delivery and reduction of school-related Gender Based Violence. The project is being implemented in 10 community schools in the Tain district and Wenchi municipality of the Brong Ahafo region and is funded by STAR-Ghana. The sub objectives are:
- To reduce SRGBV in the schools/communities
- To strengthen community participation in education delivery and management in 2 districts
- To improve retention and increase transition to SHS
- To improve collaboration and networking for effective advocacy.
The main strategy adopted to achieve the objectives is to collaborate with existing community structures to work towards achieving quality teaching and learning. The structures; the School Management Committees (SMC) and the Parents/Teacher Association (PTA) will work together to address the challenges faced in education delivery. In order to address problems related to gender based violence faced by children, community and school counsellors will be identified and trained to provide confidential counselling services. These counsellors will also be linked up with the police, Department of Social Welfare, CHRAJ and District Health Officers for easy access if and when a case needs to be referred to the particular agency. While the project will lead to improved education delivery, we shall target young girls specifically through gender clubs that will be set up in the various schools to create the space for girls to undertake extra-curricular activities and learn life-skills that will improve their worldview of themselves. Finally, district and national level advocacy will be undertaken to ensure that educational policies are effectively implemented at the community level.
