Asian countries review UNESCO training package for gender mainstreaming in teacher education

Over 30 participants from six countries in the region (Cambodia, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan and Viet Nam), together with the representatives from the Hainan Cihang Charity Foundation, attended the meeting. They included education policy-makers, planners, experts, teacher educators and researchers.

This consultation meeting is being organized within the framework of UNESCO Bangkok's project on Enhancing Girls' and Women's Right to Quality Education through Gender Sensitive Policy Making, Teacher Development and Pedagogy in South, Southeast, and Central Asia under the UNESCO-Hainan Airlines Partnership for Girls' and Women's Education. The project involves five countries, namely Cambodia, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Uzbekistan, and it aims to strengthen the education sector's responsiveness to gender equality focusing on teacher development in the Asia-Pacific region.

National researchers in the five countries conducted a situation and training needs analysis of education policymakers and planners with support from UNESCO Bangkok and developed a training package to enhance the knowledge and skills of policymakers and planners in mainstreaming gender in teacher policies and teacher education. The consultation meeting will present the draft training package to the participants and review and collect inputs for improving the draft training package.

Mr. Michael Croft, Head of UNESCO Ha Noi Office and UNESCO Representative to Viet Nam, reiterated the importance of gender equality in his welcome remarks, stating "gender equality is one of the pillars for Sustainable Development and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development will not be achieved if we do not advance for gender equality."

Mr. Philipp Rösler, Chief Executive Officer of the Hainan Cihang Charity Foundation, informed the participants in his opening remarks that the strategy of the Foundation is to support projects to better and empower people through education and entrepreneurship and that the Foundation is supporting the UNESCO project as it relates to education and gender equality and will impact the life of many people, giving access to quality education.

The revised training package will be launched in Shanghai, China, in July 2018 at a regional training of trainers workshop for national master trainers from the five participating countries, who in turn will conduct training workshops for policymakers and planners in their respective countries.