Strategies to facilitate girls’ completion of TVET at the level of schools and service providers

The quality and relevance of the training and education provided is a major factor in completion. In formal TVET, school leaders, teachers and instructors play a crucial role in achieving this, as they are responsible for creating a school and classroom environment that is safe and conducive to learning for boys and girls. Early school leaving is much more likely when such an environment is not created.

To improve school leaders’, teachers’ and instructors’ skills to act in a gender-responsive manner, it is important they can benefit from professional development opportunities that prepare them for this task.

School-related gender-based violence (physical and sexual abuse, harassment, bullying, etc.) by both student peers, teachers or other school staff are major factors not only preventing girls’ enrolment but also undermining their participation and achievement, and increasing absenteeism and dropout rates.

To reduce school-related gender-based violence (SRGBV) and increase overall safety, it is important to integrate measures at the level of school policies, of (school) services and infrastructure and of behaviours and attitudes of students and staff:

  • Attention to SRGBV needs to be included in the professional development of school leaders, teachers and instructors.
  • Institutional arrangements, protocols and codes of conduct should be developed with clear sanctions for GBV.

Programmes can also invest in

  • platforms that offer (safe) discussion spaces for girls, boys, teachers and staff,
  • social and psychological support,
  • training and awareness raising activities for school staff and students,
  • discourse on gender and violence in the curricula,
  • school-based campaigns,
  • the use of positive (female) role models…

Other strategies to keep girls’ and young women in TVET programmes is the provision of kindergarten centres for the children of young mothers, remedial courses to re-integrate students who dropped out or missed classes, or the provision of stipends for poor students or as a financial compensation for income-generating opportunities.

Illustrations/Good practices