From Caribbean News Now

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados — Over 60 senior education planners, gender focal points and representatives of the Association of Caribbean Chief Education Officers from across the region are now better equipped to address the issues of gender mainstreaming in the education sector.

During the workshop, participants discussed gender concepts, and issues relating to Caribbean societies, including how Caribbean educational systems are nuanced by issues of gender. Having completed the workshop, participants are now able to conduct gender analyses as well as apply tools to integrate gender consideration in education sector planning.The regional representatives recently attended a workshop hosted by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) on gender analysis in education, and orientation to the gender implementation guidelines for the design and implementation of education sector development plans.

Participants were also introduced to the CDB-developed gender implementation guidelines (GIG). These guidelines serve as a template to better support the inclusion of gender equality outcomes in the design and implementation of education sector development plans, and are a practical tool for operationalizing gender equality principles in these plans.

Speaking about the GIG, Denise Noel-DeBique, gender equality advisor at the CDB, said: “It strengthens the focus on gender equality outcomes of the sector and complements the education planning process by introducing specific elements of gender analysis in the implementation of education programmes.”

All CDB borrowing-member countries, with the exception of Haiti, were represented at the workshop.

“CDB over the last couple of years has dedicated significant amount of resources to assist borrowing member countries to develop strategies to assist in ensuring that there is concentrated focus on gender equality…It is expected that our education planners, will develop a full understanding of gender implementation as part of the overall plans and will ensure that these are etched in the plans on yearly basis,” said Dr Grace McLean, chief education officer, ministry of education, youth and information, Jamaica.

The workshop was held from May 24-25 in Barbados, and was facilitated by the Institute of Gender and Development Studies of the University of the West Indies.

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