THE school environment has become one of the most dangerous places for millions of children across the globe, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) Regional Office for Southern Africa (Rosa) said yesterday.
BY WINSTONE ANTONIO
In a speech read on his behalf, Rosa director Hubert Gijzen said governments needed to invest in the education and health of adolescents and young people to ensure smooth transition into healthy adults.
“We at Unesco strongly believe in the power of education to transform societies … When all children and young people have access to quality education rooted in human rights and gender equality, it creates a ripple effect of opportunity that influences generations to come,” Gijzen said.
“For millions of children and young people across the world, the school environment is not as safe and supportive as it should be. Instead, school days are marred by gender-based violence. Situations of protracted conflict, displacement and poverty exacerbate the risks of gender-based violence.”
Gijzen said such violence negatively impacts on the students’ health, well-being and ability to learn to their full potential, reducing school participation.
“Education has a key role to play in transforming the root causes of violence, and especially gender-based violence. The way teaching is conducted and the school environment can contribute to either the perpetuation of gender-based violence or to its prevention,” the Unesco Rosa director said.
Rosa was launching the Eastern and Southern Africa regional Global Guidance on School-Related Gender-Based Violence (SRGBV), a comprehensive resource pack that provides key principles, practical strategies, case studies and recommended tools for education sectors and their partners working to eliminate gender-based violence in educational settings.
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Participants in the orientation and training on SRGBV have been drawn from 13 Eastern and Southern African countries, among them Zimbabwe, Kenya, Botswana, Tanzania and Namibia, and it will run until Thursday in the capital. Primary and Secondary Education ministry secretary Sylvia Utete-Masango applauded Unesco for their continued support towards dealing with SRGBV issues and the resultant early and unintended pregnancies.
“The training will empower participants to identify key strategies and actions that will inform appropriate responses which can benefit all learners,” she said.
