Minutes of the 28th DAB meeting of Department of Gender Studies held on 2nd December, 2014
The Departmental Advisory Board (DAB) meeting for the year 2014-15 was held on 2nd
December, 2014 in the Committee Room, Zakir Hussain Block, NCERT. The following members
were present:
1.
Prof. Gouri Srivastava
Head, DGS and Chairperson
2.
Prof. Deepak Kumar,
Member and External Expert
Zakir Hussain Centre for Educational
Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University
New Delhi- 110067
3.
Prof. Anu Aneja
School of Gender & Development
Studies, IGNOU, Maidan Garhi
New Delhi- 110068
-do-
4.
Prof. Sugra Chunawala
Homi Bhabha Centre for Science
Education, Tata Institute of
Fundamental Research
V.N. Purav Marg, Mankhurd
Mumbai
-do-
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
Prof. Sandhya Singh
Dr. Anjni Koul
Dr. M.V.S.V. Prasad
Dr. Vishal D. Pajankar
Dr. Ramesh Kumar
Sh. R.K. Nimesh
Dr. P.D. Subhash
Dr. Sushmita Chakraborty
Dr. Anita Nuna
Representing Head, DEL
Representing Head, DESM
Representing Head, DESS
Representing Head, ESD
Representing Head, DEE
Representing Joint Director, CIET
Representing Head, PMD
Representing Head, DEPFE
Member, DAB of DGS
The following faculty member of DGS also attended the meeting:
1.
Dr. Mona Yadav
The following members could not attend the meeting:
1.
State Project Director (SPD)
Haryana
2.
Shri Josheph Victor
Chennai
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At the outset, Professor Gouri Srivastava, Head DGS and chairperson DAB extended a
warm welcome to all the members present. She apprised the members of the significance of
DAB and mentioned that it was an important forum of discussion of project proposals for the
coming academic year 2014-15. She briefed the members about the journey of the
Department from a unit to a full fledged department earlier known as Department of Women’s
Studies. She added that the Department broadly works in the area of Research, Development,
Training and Extension related activities. In the past decades, the Department has contributed
very meaningfully in bringing out relevant publications related to gender equality in curriculum
and its transaction both at the primary and upper primary level. These materials have been
widely disseminated in all capacity building programmes of the Department for teacher,
teacher-educators and educational administrators. Very recently, the Department has brought
out customized teacher-training package in Science, Mathematics, Social Science and
Languages for a Government of India scheme on Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV). This
package is based on NCERT textbooks at the elementary level. Bridge courses have also been
prepared for beneficiaries of the scheme in the above subject areas and has been tried out in
several capacity building programmes for KGBV teachers across different states and UTs of
India.
The Department has also published modules on Gender Equality and Empowerment in
three volumes which are used in all gender sensitization programmes for teacher educators and
teachers. This material is available as an open source on the website of DGS. Further, textbook
evaluation from a gender perspective is also an important activity of the Department. During
2011-14, the Department has evaluated its own textbooks at the elementary level and State
textbooks of U.P., M.P., Haryana, Bihar, and Jammu & Kashmir. The analysis of the latter three
states is in progress. For the purposes of evaluation, a tool has been developed in English,
Hindi, Sanskrit and Urdu and has been placed on the Department’s website. A guideline has
been prepared for writers of textual material to make the content of all school stages gender
sensitive.
Prof. Gouri Srivastava gave a brief account of the roles, functions and important projects taken
up by the Department in the last five years. In this context, she reflected on some areas of
significance i.e. awareness generation for action, re-designing curriculum and educational
programmes, orientation of curriculum makers, textbook writers and educational planners,
inculcation of positive self image in the girl child, promotion of research and innovative action
projects, inputs into teacher education, networking, mobilization of women and community,
interacting with media and development of textual and promotional materials. Later, she
briefed the members about the progress of programmes taken up in 2013-14.
In 2013-14, the Department had developed a draft syllabus on Diploma Course on Gender
Issues in Education. The syllabus has been prepared and it will be fine tuned in the forthcoming
National Consultation on Gender Issues in Education. Capacity building programme of KGBV
teachers of Bihar, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan has been successfully completed.
For educational administrators of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs), two programmes have
also been successfully completed for the States of North-East and Eastern States. Two
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programmes have yet to be organized for southern and western region. Preparatory activities
have been undertaken and it is proposed to be completed by March, 2014.
Two ERIC Research Projects were taken up by the Department i.e. “Strategies adopted for
enrolling Girls in Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas Managed by different agencies in Andhra
Pradesh, Bihar and Gujarat: An Exploratory Study and “A Study of the National Programmes for
Education of Girls of Elementary Level (NPEGEL) in Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Meghalaya
Study”. The former study has been completed. The latter study is in progress.
Observations of DAB Members:
-
Members were very appreciative of the programmes undertaken by the Department
and mentioned that despite the faculty being very small, the Department has
managed to complete successfully several programmes of national importance in
the area of girls’ education and women’s’ empowerment. All the external members
were of the view that the faculty strength of the Department should be enhanced so
that more work could be taken up in the area of importance. In this regard, the
members mentioned that till fresh recruitment is done, the Department can suggest
for appointment of Consultants or Contractual staff.
-
The materials available with the Department need to be digitalized for
dissemination. The Department can also explore placing its material in the NROER
of CIET.
-
Teachers should be trained to gender sensitize the parents and community
members.
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The Department can net work with Organizations at the national, state and district
level on Gender concerns in Education
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Materials developed by School of Gender and Development Studies, IGNOU for its
Under Graduate and Graduate and M.A. Online programmes can be used by the
Department for its various programmes.
-
Materials on women role models who have contributed to the society in different
fields at the national, state, district and village level can be developed by the
Department.
-
The capacity building programmes of the Department can include sessions on sociopsycho issues concerning boys and girls.
-
Material on women scientists can be included in developmental materials of the
Department.
-
More focus should be given to micro studies.
-
Concerns of trans-gender should be woven in appropriate programmes.
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The programme proposals for the academic year 2014-15 were discussed in details. The
suggestions/ comments given by the DAB members on each project/ programme are stated
below:
Observations on the programme proposals:
1.Title of the programme
Training Programme for KGBV Teachers on Bridge
Course and Teacher Training Package for States of
Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jharkhand
Recommended with the following suggestions:
-
Participants should be selected based on the number of KGBVs of the State. This will
help in giving more focus to KGBV teachers for their capacity building.
2. Title of the programme
Training Programme for Teacher Educators from
DIETs on Gender Issues in Education with Focus on
Upliftment of Girls belonging to Minority
Communities
Recommended with the following suggestions:
-
The word ‘community’ needs to be removed from the title.
The participants can be invited from Islands of India i.e. Andaman and Nicobar
Islands and Lakshdweep. Also, participants can include persons working in other
minority concentration areas.
3. Title of the programme
Training programme for the Principals of Jawahar
Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) on Gender Issues in
Education
Recommended
4. Title of the programme
Training Programme for Teacher Educators from
DIETs and SCERTs on Gender Issues in Education
with Focus on Educational Development of Girls
belonging to Scheduled Tribe Communities
Recommended with the following suggestions:
-
Remove the word ‘community’ in the title.
Add ‘North-Eastern Region’ in the title itself.
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5. Title of the programme
Training Programme for Teacher Educators on
Addressing the Phenomena of Declining Sex Ratio
in India as per Census 2011
Recommended with the following suggestions:
-
Resource person from the religious community need to be invited.
6. Title of the programme
Follow up Workshop for KGBV Teachers Trained
from the States of West Bengal, Orissa and
Chhattisgarh
Recommended with the following suggestions:
-
The type of the programme should be ‘Extension’ and ‘Research’ instead of
‘workshop’.
Checklist can be prepared for ascertaining the utilization of the training programme
in different field situations.
7. Title of the programme
National Consultation
Concerns in Education
on
Emerging
Gender
Recommended with the following suggestions:
-
The objective should include – provide input to the new NPE.
-Issues and concerns of Transgender
- Gender mainstreaming in education
- Resource persons need to be drawn from Southern and Eastern part of India.
Departments of NCERT like DEL may also be included.
8. Title of the programme
NIE
Analysis of the Textbooks of Bihar, Chhattisgarh,
Jharkhand, Haryana, Rajasthan and Jammu &
Kashmir (J&K).
Recommended
The meeting ended with the vote of thanks by the Chairperson.
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