Why students, teachers & the school management need gender sensitisation

1997 - “These things tend to happen in girls’ colleges, leave it…”

Back when I was studying in college, a girl was molested by her Physics teacher. We went to our class teacher to seek her help in the matter. She advised us thus, “Girls, these things happen in women’s colleges; just leave it.” Even a suicide attempt by the girl did not compel the management to empathise with her. Eventually, she changed her college.

2017 – Dressing modern doesn’t make up for backward attitudes. Mentality is still dangerous

Now that I am a teacher, I can see that things are very different from what they used to be. A boy in my school likes to colour his hair a different colour each week, while a girl is fancily dressed up for the school prom. But here’s the thing; just because young adults wear modern clothes, it doesn’t imply that their thinking or attitude is forward or progressive.

Largely, the mentality across schools is still so regressive and dangerous. Children can be hurtful and insensitive, bordering on violence. Moreover, in a digital world, they feel powerful by shaming others behind an anonymous facade on their computer screens. Slanderous words are carelessly thrown around as responses on social networking platforms when a girl expresses ‘strong’ views, often by her boys known to her, perhaps from her own class or school.

To gender sensitise children, teachers need to be free of bias too

It’s not just the children, but teachers themselves that need to go undergo a thorough check of their attitudes and mindsets. Often, teachers too, fall back on older, more familiar patterns of thinking, knowingly and unknowingly show gender insensitivity. A teacher tells a group of boys to be wary of girls who may accuse them of rape if they both had an argument on a social networking platform. Another teacher pulls up a girl for showing ‘too much skin’, when she rolls up the shorts of her sports uniform on field. If a boy does the same thing, it’s ignored.

Change needs to start from schools - the onus is on the whole community around the schools

School counsellors work with students who struggle with gender-based bullying, gender identity issues, gender-based favouritism at home and gender-based pressures to fit in socially. There is a lot that needs to be understood and a lot more that needs to be done to make gender sensitivity programmes successful in schools.

A lot of conditioning and stereotyping comes from teachers themselves. This has to stop. Genderbased bullying, online or offline, has to stop.

A school community is a community of students, parents, teachers, administrators and support staff. Everyone has a part to play in enabling a gender-sensitive and gender-equal system. Change will occur when old attitudes held by us the adults, change, and we become accepting of the many complex layers of gender sensitization.

This is why I am of the utmost belief that gender sensitisation is a non-negotiable need of the hour. It’s high time that we make gender sensitisation mandatory across schools in India.

Do take a look at Tata Tea’s petition, and act today, to transform our young minds and the future of the country.

Join Tata Tea’s movement to make gender sensitisation programmes compulsory in schools. Sign the petition by clicking here or by calling 7815966666 toll free.

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