Yaba College of Technology (Yabatech) has blazed the trail to become the first tertiary institution in the country to train and certify over forty (40) staff in Gender Responsive Pedagogy (GRP), a groundbreaking initiative of the college’s Girls’ Education and Skills Partnership (GESP) program.
The epoch-pioneering effort was facilitated by the United Kingdom-based International Network for Advancing Science and Policy (INASP) that equipped the participants with the knowledge and tools to integrate GRP into the classroom as a collaboration effort sponsored by UNICEF Generation Unlimited and the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
The three-day train-the-trainer workshop empowered the participants with the skills to challenge gender biases, foster equal participation, and create inclusive learning environments where students, regardless of gender, can reach their full potential.
The project coordinator of GESP in the college, Dr. Funmilayo Doherty, in her welcome address, disclosed that the participants are the first cohort of GRP trainers in the Nigerian tertiary education system and will be playing a pivotal role in shaping the future of education and will be the driving force in expanding GRP knowledge.
The rector of Yaba College of Technology, Dr. Engr. Ibraheem Abdul, in his address and declaration of the workshop opening, commended the INASP team for partnering with YABATECH’s GESP initiative and highlighted the importance of innovation in education, stating that true innovators dedicate themselves fully to setting exemplary standards.
He urged participants to embrace the GRP initiative and equip themselves with the necessary knowledge to drive meaningful change in the educational sector, not minding the herculean task attached to it.
“The Gender-Responsive Pedagogy is an innovative concept that holds great potential for the future. It is imperative that everyone embrace this forward-thinking approach to foster an inclusive and balanced educational environment,” Dr. Abdul declared.
The rector, however, encouraged participants to commit wholeheartedly to the GRP initiative and to become advocates of innovation as the world awaits the showcasing of their expertise in the not-too-distant future.
The representative of INASP UK, a senior program specialist in gender responsiveness programming and pedagogy, Mai Hoff Skovgaard, expressed her delight and satisfaction with the enthusiasm, passion, and warm embracement of Nigeria on the workshop.
She outlined that the participants have acquired knowledge and confidence in understanding GRP and how it transforms education, identifying strategies to eliminate stereotypes from curricula, teaching methods, and classroom interactions; inclusive teaching and assessment techniques with practical approaches to ensure that all students receive equal learning opportunities; and also action planning for institutional change on how to integrate GRP principles into teaching practices and institutional policies.
Other team members of the INASP UK that facilitated the training are Professor Flora Fabian, a founding vice chancellor of Mwanza University, Tanzania and Dr. Albert Lauswata, a senior lecturer and chair of the Centre for Ethics at Uganda Martyrs University.
