By Chigozie Uzosike, Owerri
To ensure that there’s seamless learning in schools, teachers of Imo State have been urged to employ the model of Gender Responsive Pedagogy as they impact knowledge to the students/pupils put in their custody.
This advice was part of the take home information provided by the Master trainers, to teachers during the two-day Gender Responsive Pedagogy Teachers Training (GRPTT) held at IMSUBEB Complex in Owerri from Thursday, 25 to Friday September 26 2025.
Speaking during the event that was organised by the Civil Society Action Coalition on Education for All (CSACEFA) Imo State, in partnership with Imo State Universal Basic Education (IMSUBEB) using the Gender Responsive Pedagogy Training modules developed by Plan International, the state Coordinator of CSACEFA, Elder Kenneth Amogu noted that Gender Responsive Pedagogy means teaching in a way that responds to the needs of boys and girls, as both of them have equal rights to have access to quality education, the Gender Responsive Pedagogy way of teaching must be embraced by the old and new teachers.
He said, “There’s need to be mindful of the words we use in classes. We must refer and see both female and male students/pupils as ones that have capacity to live their full potentials. “We need to start remodeling the minds of the pupils.
Let’s start changing the stereotypes that have widen the gap, Gender Equality is the way to go as we must have our women and men, girls and boys enjoy the same status in the society, enjoy all human rights fully and without discrimination, enjoy the same level of respect in the community, must be equally valued by all, can take advantage of same opportunities to make choices, and have the same amount of power to shape the outcome of these choices”.
He appreciated the CSACEFA National Secretariat and the EOL project 2024-2026 (supported by Oxfam Denmark and GPE), for providing the supports for the activity for Teachers Professional Development”.
In his remarks, the Executive Chairman of IMSUBEB, Hon. Chidiebere Egbo said there should not be disparity in the class as the teachers teach the learners, stressing that there ought not to be preference for both the boy or girl pupils because they have equal opportunity of developing their potentials to attain any heights.
“Education is not only about reading and writing, Hygiene is involved especially with the girl child. Puberty and menstrual hygiene are also taught to the teachers so that when they see these changes, they will know what to do, and as it concerns the girl and the boy as everyone must support the girl child for an improved menstrual hygiene.
“The training will make the teachers to be awake to their responsibility. We expect that at the end of the training, the teachers will step down the training to about 1277 schools in the state”.
“The girl child should not be made to feel inferior or feel that she cannot live out her potentials without a man. “Education and knowledge are key to transformation. Parents should not be apportioning certain roles to the boys alone nor the girls alone”.
A teacher participant, Onuka Christian Osita said he has learnt to inculcate values as he teaches the students.
“I am not to discriminate against any student as I teach. We need to carry girl child along in education because they have potential to become what their male counterpart can achieve”.
He said it’s important that both sex are made to have self esteem despite their hormonal origin”.
Another teacher, Ohiri Blessing noted that teachers should know how to use sex and gender because they are not the same. What a boy can do, a girl can equally do.
The first line of action when I get back to school is to have stepdown training for the teachers that will in turn extend the learning to other teachers and students. She said the special students must also be supported to get better education.
She said it’s important to understand the learning speed of each student and know how to deal with them, saying there are hyper learners, average and slow learners so that not classifying all categories of students in one will not make one a good teacher as they learned in the training.
The Gender Responsive Teachers Training will support the hosting of Teachers Reflection Circles and meetings in various schools in the state to provide the much needed information and support for Gender Responsive teaching and supporting teachers professionally.
The two day training, had the two Master Trainers from the State, Elder Kenneth Amogu and Juliet Obiageri Okeiyi, as the Resource Persons.
Concerted efforts must be made by all to ensure that all the serving teachers receive the Gender Responsive Pedagogy Teachers Training.
It would be recalled that this is the second batch of teachers trained on Gender Responsive Pedagogy (GRPTT) in Imo state by the EOL Project. The first batch was trained in 2024.
