By Fatoumatta K Jallow
The Gambia Teachers Union (GTU) on Thursday 11th January 2018, organized a forum for the development of gender related messages by Teachers and Principals.
The event was held at the Gambia Teachers Union headquarters in Kanifing.
The forum was attended by members from the regional executive committee, members of the Gambia Teachers Union, principals from Senior Secondary schools, young teachers as well as a teacher from the school for the deaf and members from the Forum for Women educationalist.
Marie Antoinette Corr Sectary General of GTU said The Gambia Teachers Union is affiliated to Education International (EI), a parent body responsible for all the teachers union in the world with 33 million members from 180 countries, and comprising of 400 Teacher Unions.
Madam Corr held that for EI, gender related issues are very important as well as for the Gambia Teachers Union; that this is why they have the women’s wing known as the status of women committee.
“We are assigned and supported by EI’s Regional Office in Africa, to develop gender sensitive messages that will tell a story and will sensitize the general public about the importance of not violating the rights of women and girls”, she posited.
She assured that the messages will be used to sensitize people about violence against women and girls as this is rampant all over the world and the Gambia is not an exception.
“These messages that are being developed will be forwarded to EI to be transformed into stickers and posters that will be supplied to other Unions for sensitization including The Gambia”, she said.
GTU has many plans this year she said; that this includes the sensitization of GTU Executive committee, the Women’s wing on Information Communication and Technology (ICT), because there is a lot going on especially in the area of Social Media.
This training she said, will equip participants so that they will be able to know what to use or not.
She revealed that the GTU will soon be hosting a workshop by bringing 35 people comprising the General Sectaries, Presidents and gender coordinators from the Gambia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana and Nigeria.
Gender related issues will be discussed among other issues in the meeting.
Essa Sowe, Deputy General Secretary of GTU also elaborated on the importance of Gender development massages and said violation against women and Girls is rampant in our societies and communities and this should stop.
