Tarawa, Kiribati (SPC) – Twelve primary and secondary school teachers and 15 trainee teacher assistants can now model positive behavior in the classroom as a result of a workshop on human rights and responsibilities, inclusivity and equity over the course of three days in Tarawa.
The workshop was convened by the Pacific Community’s (SPC) Regional Rights Resource Team (RRRT) under the Pacific Partnership Project to End Violence Against Women and Girls program. The Pacific Partnership brings together governments, civil society organisations, communities and other partners to promote gender equality, prevent violence against women and girls, and increase access to quality response services for survivors. The EUR19.8million programme is funded primarily by the European Union (EUR12.7m) with targeted support from the Australian government (EUR6.1m or AUD$9.6m) and UN Women (EUR0.6m).
Outcome One of the Pacific Partnership aims to enhance Pacific youth’s formal in-school and informal education on gender equality and prevention of violence against women and girls, focusing on integrating human rights and responsibilities into primary and secondary school curricula in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Kiribati.
“Social citizenship is about equipping school students and young people with the skills to be able to make good, considered decisions, work collaboratively and peacefully, and think critically and creatively to ensure the sustainable future of our Pacific countries,” said Nilesh Goundar, RRRT Pacific Partnership program manager.
Working collaboratively and peacefully can lead to a more positive classroom environment where students thrive. The workshop included activities that teachers can use with students of different ages to create an inclusive learning environment. Nearly all of the 27 participants gained credits towards their Teaching Certificate or Graduate Diploma in Teaching.
The module that was used in this workshop was developed in November 2018 by lecturers from the Kiribati Teachers College with the assistance of SPC RRRT. It can be adapted to suit pre-service and in-service teaching courses that will be rolled out to more teachers and teacher assistants in 2019.