NDMC to conduct gender sensitisation programmes in schools

The NDMC is stepping up measures to make children in the council schools more gender sensitive. The project has been run in three schools already.

The next phase of the project will be carried out in other New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) schools in January. Students from class 9 to 11 will participate in the project. They will be assisted by teachers of the Sociology department in drawing inferences in their projects.

“This is an ongoing project to enhance sensitisation level among children. In the last phase, 90 students from three schools participated. Their findings show how well they have absorbed the project. We conduct it usually during lean months, when the academic pressure is minimum,” said Vidushi Chaturvedi, Director of Education, NDMC.

The month-long exercise will be divided into different parts. It includes both group and individual assignments for students. At any given time, it is possible to accommodate 90-100 students in the project. Groups of girls and boys will be asked to study “vulnerable spots” on their way to school.

“They have to look out for spots in which girls are vulnerable to attacks. They have a list of standard questions — were you feeling unsafe while travelling alone or in group, was there no streetlight or did you see any girl being teased at that spot? The students will have to identify such spots and why they qualify as vulnerable,” said Chaturvedi. Students will also study public behaviour towards women in general.

They will note down if men are hostile to women in public places.  They will review if women are harassed in public places or the kind of treatment they are meted out with.

They will highlight the major issues through charts and pictorial representations besides notes.

“The findings will be taken into account by teachers and the students’ performance on the exercise will be reviewed. The sociological angles of the psyche of the students will be explored. The last project had interesting observations on the issue from boys,” said Chaturvedi.