Tackling sexism in primary schools: European GATE project
Established in 2019, the European GATE project brings together expertise from Bulgaria, Denmark, Spain, Finland and France around gender awareness and tackling stereotypes in education. This project is funded by the Erasmus+ programme and coordinated by France Education International.
Based on a survey of good practices in the partner countries, several training sessions were organised between February 2022 and November 2023 for teachers from 25 schools in the five partner countries as part of the test phase. The objective was to enable them to identify inequalities in their environment and in their teaching practice, and also to provide them with a catalogue of pedagogical activities to be tested in the classroom.
Valuable training for developing the critical thinking skills of teachers and students
The project partners met in November 2022 in Sofia, Bulgaria, with a panel of European experts also in attendance, to evaluate the experiment and assess the training. Prior to this meeting, a questionnaire was given to the teachers to gather their opinions on the activities suggested in the catalogue, on how to implement these activities in their classrooms and on the challenges faced.
All teachers highlighted the importance and necessity of familiarising yourself with the activities with the help of a trainer. They also appreciated the opportunity to share their teaching practice with teachers from other schools. In general, this test phase allowed them to develop their critical thinking and that of their students. It also helped them become aware of existing gender stereotypes and prejudices, which differ from country to country.
However, as for the students, they believe it is important to address this topic in school from an early age. A 12-year-old Spanish student said: The younger you learn this, the more time you have to act and change what might happen in the future.
Project completion and sharing results
2023 will be dedicated to organising local events in each of the partner countries, to present the results and conclusions of the testing to policy makers and stakeholders in the world of education.
The project will come to a close in May 2023 with a final conference in Sèvres. France Education International will invite all partners, teachers, representatives of the French Ministry of Education and Youth and other education actors at national and European level. This international event will present the project’s recommendations, in line with the Ministry’s priority to promote gender equality and inclusion.
Go to the official GATE project website for more information.