Worried by the unfriendly setting of classrooms in favour of the male gender over female in Bauchi State, Young Leaders Network (YLN) has trained teachers from selected public schools in Bauchi metropolis.

According to the Communications Specialist for the group, Mahadia Baba, teachers play a pivotal role in setting norms and nurturing the next generation of learners when they get the training and support to create a gender-responsive classroom.

“Our message is that the teachers should deploy an approach that is both gender-friendly. In so many cases, females find it hard to express themselves while undergoing their menstrual cycles. The boys tend to mock them, and that results in something else.

“We have taught the teachers to be considerate when teaching and to pay attention to situations like this. Sometimes, they may not be in school during such periods. They need to make things conducive for the girls,” she said.

YLN, in collaboration with the Development Exchange Centre, had organised a two-day capacity building workshop for teachers on gender responsive pedagogy, to strengthen the capacity of teachers, by adopting the gender responsive learning Pedagogy used by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

Baba added: “The training, which brought seasoned facilitators from the academic and civil society network, addressed, majorly, the gender bias among teachers, and its negative impact on gender equality and equity in schools.”