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Girls in STEM
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Histoires inspirantes de femmes scientifiques africainesUncategorized
PRODUCTION OF ARTIFICIAL COLOSTRUM TO REDUCE CALF MORTALITY AND INCREASE THEIR PERFORMANCEUncategorized
- Inspiring stories from African women scientistsUncategorized
Addressing gender stereotypes in the classroomGeneral
Gender assumptions that challenge a quality education for girls in UgandaEducation
Strengthening Gender Responsive Pedagogy for STEM in UgandaEducation
RESPECT FOR WOMEN IS PARAMOUNTNetworking
Sexual harassment is an unfortunate, often damaging, experience that girls and boys face daily in their school lives. Quite apart from the ultimate forced sexual act, sexual harassment includes abusive language and gestures, sexual advances, touching, passing unwanted notes, and character assassination.
The victims are often times silent sufferers, particularly when they are in the same school environment with the perpetrators. Sexual harassment harms both girls and boys physically, psychologically and emotionally. It embarrasses, humiliates and shames the victims.
Teachers, like other members of society, carry the values and attitudes of their society into the classroom. Teachers themselves are also frequently the perpetrators of sexual harassment in the schools. Yet sexual harassment has far reaching implications for the teaching and learning processes. For example, consider a girl who has just been sexually harassed by a male teacher now sitting in class taught by the same teacher. Such a girl will be traumatised and unable to concentrate on her studies. The presence of the perpetrator will bring forth anger, fear and resentment that may hinder learning.
Most education systems do not adequately address the issue of sexual harassment in teacher training. Therefore teachers do not have the necessary skills to detect and handle sexual harassment in the classroom, or even to recognise its impact on teaching and learning. In addition, in case they are the perpetrators, the teachers are not willing to stop the practice.
It is therefore important for every teacher to create a conducive classroom learning environment that is free of all forms of sexual harassment. This starts with the teachers themselves as educators exercising sexual self-control and avoiding any situation that may lead to sexual harassment.
Because of the negative attitudes and practices in the African cultural set up, such as forced marriage, abduction and considering women as sexual objects, sexual harassment is unfortunately viewed as part of normal practice and is therefore widely tolerated in schools and society in general.
Girls are particularly vulnerable, rendering them exposed to early pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections and HIV and AIDS. A teacher must therefore, be conscious and see themselves as guardians and remember that they are responsible for the pupils’ safety, welfare and wellbeing both in and outside school. He/she must, as well, make it absolutely clear that they will not tolerate such activity in their classrooms.
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