Achieving transformational changes through a whole-of-system approach
GPE KIX’s recent synthesis report outlines the barriers to integrating gender equality in and through education as well as strategies to overcome those barriers in and beyond the classroom.
At the school level, resources (including infrastructure and teaching and learning materials) and training are crucial to access and quality of education for every child, regardless of gender, disability, refugee or ethnic status. In many countries where multiple factors of disadvantage come together, marginalized learners—particularly girls—remain the furthest behind.
GPE KIX research suggests that teachers should be equipped not only with pedagogical strategies to support all learners, but also with knowledge of how to identify, prevent and respond to school-related gender-based violence (SRGBV). Similarly, school leaders should be trained in strategic planning, infrastructure support, policy implementation and effective communication of gender-related issues.
Policies can foster the conditions for school-level improvements as these recognize the needs and rights of every student and provide pathways for institutionalized responses grounded in legislative frameworks. That said, social stigma can limit policy, highlighting the need to ensure support from not only teachers and policy makers, but families and communities.
A key strategy outlined in the report is bringing together educational institutions, government bodies, NGOs and community organizations to co-create relevant and actionable knowledge.
Implications for scaling and policy uptake
The focus of the GPE KIX projects was testing and adapting gender-responsive school models to address knowledge gaps on the process of scaling them. School models included gender and inclusive pedagogies; networked improved communities with school leaders; gender-based violence prevention practices; and mentorship programs for marginalized girls.
The projects highlighted several lessons that can inform future efforts to scale and sustain gender-responsive education models:
Align scaling efforts with national education policies and plans
Mapping the policy landscape and collaborating with government stakeholders help demonstrate how gender-responsive models complement existing policies and plans that aim to improve access, quality and outcomes for marginalized learners; and to enhance government support. This involves working with relevant cross-sectorial ministries including Education, Gender and Social Affairs.
Collaboration with government stakeholders in the Strategies to Prevent SGBV project, for instance, helped embed SRGBV into national education policy frameworks. In Haiti, this collaboration resulted in guidelines for preventing sexual violence and harmful physical punishment in schools.
Invest in early, ongoing, meaningful and inclusive knowledge mobilization with education stakeholders
Engaging government stakeholders throughout the research process and framing evidence for policy audiences and education implementers fosters mutual understanding and enhances the relevance and uptake of findings.
Aligning the dissemination of findings with governments’ preferred formats and platforms can also increase their impact.
GPE KIX projects have used participatory action research and have drawn on local networks to identify key government agencies and individuals to support the scaling process. For example, the Scaling a Youth-Led Social Support and Mentorship Program invited decision makers and technical experts from relevant government ministries and members from local civil society organization to join national scaling advisory committees.
Consider country-specific dynamics in scaling efforts
Scaling GEI models requires a context-sensitive approach—informed by analyses of local social norms, policies, stakeholder interests and resources—for greater effectiveness and adoption.
In the School Leaders as Agents of Change project in Pakistan, a school leader overcame parental resistance to enrolling street children through collaboration with parents, religious groups, teachers and students. The project piloted flexible study hours for these children.
Prioritize awareness-raising and capacity-strengthening on gender equality and inclusion
Addressing deeply entrenched social norms and biases requires investing in capacity-strengthening for teachers, school leaders, parents and communities, fostering awareness and inclusion, and cultivating stakeholder networks and coalitions to help ensure sustained support for scaling gender-responsive education models beyond the project cycle.
GPE KIX projects have leveraged EdTech and social media platforms to link teachers and school leaders with colleagues in other schools to promote collaborative professional development.
Seek out diverse funding sources and leverage existing resources and infrastructure
To ensure sustainable financing, it is essential to diversify funding sources—including government, donors, the private sector and philanthropy.
Proposals should align with government budget cycles and integrate gender-responsive and inclusive education models into existing systems, curricula and training programs to minimize duplication and reliance on external support.
GPE KIX projects have built alliances and coalitions with community-based organizations to raise awareness, garner support for scaling efforts, and ensure sustainability and impact.
GPE KIX’s continued commitment to GEI
GPE KIX’s recent scoping study suggests that despite these promising developments, there is a continuing need to support GEI initiatives in partner countries.
Interviews with GPE country leads emphasized two intersecting challenges: access, particularly in relation to learners’ marginalized status and identities as well as infrastructure, and quality of education, with a focus on gender-responsive and inclusive curriculum, school management and leadership, school safety and psychosocial support.
The study offers promising strategies to address such challenges. Ethiopia’s sector plan, for instance, references school codes of conduct to address gender-based violence, discrimination and school violence.
Education sector plans in Eswatini indicate that psychosocial support was provided via distance learning platforms during COVID-19, which is particularly important for marginalized groups who face violence in and out of the classroom.
More generally, the study indicates that many GPE partner countries across contexts have adopted a more learner-centered approach to education, in which attention to individual differences and learning needs is central. This shift has advanced the work around inclusive and gender-responsive curricula.
Based on country priorities highlighted in our recent scoping study, a new cohort of GPE KIX projects will continue to provide evidence on innovations and approaches that can make a difference in children’s learning: inclusive and gender-responsive curriculum, pedagogies and leadership; and safe, inclusive and supportive schools.
Research into practice
Research outputs are available to support government officials, policy makers, practitioners or researchers in turning evidence into practice:
- Policy brief: to be used in meetings with policy makers and practitioners
- Scaling brief: to be used with policy makers and education stakeholders interested in scaling gender-responsive education models
- KIX research brief: the summary of national priorities and research gaps for improving GEI in education
- Infographic: the findings of GPE KIX synthesis report.
