Adolescent boys and girls are encouraged to consider the culturally ingrained gender norms, roles, and discriminatory practises through the use of interactive classroom discussions in the curriculum.
For pupils in all government schools in Odisha, a gender equality curriculum will be incorporated into the course curriculum in order to change their views, aspirations, and behaviour. On Monday in Bhubaneswar, the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-Pal), South Asia, and the women’s rights organisation Breakthrough signed an agreement. According to a formal statement, the curriculum includes interactive class discussions to educate adolescent boys and girls to consider the culturally imbedded gender norms, roles, and discriminatory actions.
By August, it will be included in the social studies curriculum for boys and girls in classes 6 through 10 at more than 18,000 elementary and 5,000 secondary institutions. J-Pal South Asia executive director Shobhini Mukerji remarked, “Adolescence gives a significant window of opportunity to modify even deeply-rooted traditions and establish more progressive gender attitudes.”
Breakthrough will collaborate with the department to integrate the curriculum into the syllabus, contextualise it, educate teachers, gather teacher feedback, hold workshops, and involve parents in the process.
To make sure the programme is meeting its goals to produce insights for long-term, high-quality government implementation of the curriculum, J-Pal will carry out independent monitoring activities. “The pursuit of gender equality is crucial. On it, we’re working.” Samir Dash, the minister of education, stated. Positive gender attitudes, parents supporting daughters’ education, an improved sex ratio, and increased female engagement in the labour field are all anticipated programme results. The project intends to give girls options for their education and employment, to keep them in school for longer periods of time, to reduce dropout rates, and to raise the age of marriage and first births. Sohini Bhattacharya, the chief executive officer of Breakthrough, emphasised that gender stereotypes are developed at an early age.
Therefore, Bhattacharya added, “We must make sure that kids, particularly those between the ages of 10-15, have access to the proper information relating to gender equality, legal rights, and healthy gender behaviours. The Gender Equity Programme’s execution will assist in meeting the state’s gender equality and quality education Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Principal Secretary of the Department of School Education Bishnupada Sethi remarked, “We’ll have a wide range of themes that will be presented in schools as part of this curriculum in our continuous efforts to develop a gender-equal world.”
Prasanta Patnaik 
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