The Centre for Women’s Studies, University of Hyderabad (UoH) was invited by Samagra Shiksha, Department of School Education, Telangana to conduct a three-day training workshop on Gender for Gender and Equity Coordinators and Headmasters of government schools, Telangana, from 5th to 7th of January 2023. Ninety nine teachers drawn from across the state of Telangana (one Gender Equity coordinator and two Headmasters from each district) attended the workshop. This workshop was based on the gender handbooks for teachers and students (6-8 classes and 9-12 classes) that the Samagra Shiksha requested the Centre for Women’s Studies (CWS) to prepare in December 2021. Prof. K. Suneetha Rani is the editor of these three handbooks prepared in Telugu. The handbooks include units contributed by academicians, activists, creative writers and researchers working in the area of Gender Studies. The units range from a discussion on Sex and Gender to By-Stander Interventions.
The workshop was organised by Samagra Shiksha with financial support from UNICEF, Hyderabad and knowledge support by Centre for Women’s Studies, University of Hyderabad. The teacher participants were introduced to the three handbooks and their suggestions and inputs were taken to update the handbooks, especially the student handbooks. The Teachers Handbook was released and the copies were distributed among the participants. The three day workshop included sessions by Prof. K. Suneetha Rani and Prof. Deepa Sreenivas (CWS), Prof. Pushpesh Kumar (Dept. of Sociology and Joint Faculty, CWS), Dr. A. Suneetha (Guest Faculty, CWS) and Dr. Aparna Thota (Gender Consultant). The sessions included extensive discussions, activities and brainstorming arguments. The workshop was intended to train the teacher participants to act as teachers-trainers such that they can in turn train teachers in their respective districts. They will also take the handbooks for dissemination among the students. These handbooks are expected to become a mandatory part Life Skills Development Programme for students in government schools.
The workshop was held at Dr. Marri Chenna Reddy Institute of Human Resource Development of Telangana, Hyderabad.