Ministry of Education hosts ‘gender sensitisation workshops’ in St Lucia

A department of St Lucia’s Ministry of Education has been hosting a number of workshops designed to allow children to avoid gender limitations.

The ‘gender sensitisation workshops’ are being organised by the Early Childhood Development Unit in the hope that youngsters can explore varied interests.

Antonius Thomas, curriculum officer in the unit, said that the time has come for parents and teachers to allow children to be themselves.

The existence of devised gender lines could do more harm than could, he added.

“Children should be allowed to be children; they should be allowed to partake in any activity that makes them a better individual. You have to allow children to be just that – children.

“Let them learn, let them grow, let them practice various skills so that in the end they will be more rounded individuals, more grounded individuals and they will be able to empathise more with people because they would have had an idea of what happens on a situational basis as opposed to what happens to girls and what happens to boys.”

‘Outside traditional fields’

Thomas stated that work was already started within learning institutions.

“We have conducted a sensitisation workshop with some kindergarten teachers and we are hoping that that will continue. The response is really good,” he said.

“They think that it will help and it opened their eyes into seeing how children may be affected by issues related to gender in the classroom.

“The next step is for us to look within the early childhood sector where we will be training our own practitioners and giving them the skills or the tools to deal with children who they perceive as different simply because they choose to go out of their traditional fields.”