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UNESCO DONATES TO EDUCATION: A UNESCO donation of some $18,000 to the gender and education divisions of government last week marked the official start of a project, which seeks to explore gender disparities in education in Saint Lucia and make policy recommendations to close any existing gaps.

The project is known as the Gender Dynamics in Academic Attainment of School-Aged Children in Saint Lucia Before and During COVID -19 and has as its main objectives to compare the academic performance of male primary school children with that of their female counterparts and to explore the extent to which there are gender disparities in the instruction, assessment and discipline of primary and secondary school students in saint Lucia.

The project, according to Secretary General of the national Commission for UNESCO Marcia Symphorien, compares gender differences in performance of school aged children in face-to-face and remote instructional/learning settings and provide policy and future research recommendations to close any gender gap in educational attainment on the island.

Minister with responsibility for Gender Relations Hon. Virginia Albert-Poyotte, who was an educator by profession, says gender inequality remains one of the greatest threats to sustainable development.

She highlighted male underachievement as a very disturbing concept requiring well-grounded research that is open and asks the right questions, while at the same time noting the plight of women facing increasing rates of unemployment during the covid pandemic.

The expected target groups include primary school boys and girls from grades four and six, primary school teachers and principals in four educational districts and top 2019 Common Entrance Examination results placings in selected Districts.

Permanent Secretary in the Department of Education, Innovation and Vocational Training Michelle Charles says no child should be left behind, and that the policies and programmes that administers education in Saint Lucia must reflect that in ensuring there is equal opportunity and nurturing for both male and female.

The project is one of four programmes granted funding this current biennium under the UNESCO participation programme. The project will run October 2021 to February, 2022.