Lifting Barriers project workshop sets collaboration with Malawi Ministry of Education

From 13-15 November 2024, the Center for Social Research (University of Malawi) organized a research workshop in Zomba, Malawi, for the GPE KIX project Lifting Barriers – Educated Boys for Gender Equality, together with Equimundo, UNESCO and University of East Anglia (UEA), as well as with the participation of the Cambodia Development Resource Institute. 

UNESCO presented the project to the Malawi Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare and national partners from civil society and academia. The project focuses on understanding how harmful masculine norms affect boys’ education. Interventions are planned in Malawi, Cambodia, and Lesotho to address these norms. Malawi is the pilot country where a multi-level school intervention is planned to support boys in achieving their full potential in and through education. 

During the workshop, UEA presented findings from a scoping study. The study analyses innovative interventions in the field of gender equality and education that have the potential to support boys, promote gender-equitable attitudes and build inclusive school environments for boys and girls. Equimundo provided training to the research team, Ministry representatives and national partners on masculinities and education. 

“One of the principles of Agenda 2030 is to leave no one behind. This brilliant project could not have come at a better time”, said Mangani Katundu, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Education, in his keynote speech. 

The workshop allowed researchers from Cambodia and Malawi to exchange their experience and expertise. Links were made with other GPE KIX projects being implemented in Malawi. 

The Malawi Advisory Committee to the project held its constitutive meeting and discussed sites for the intervention of the project as well as the country context. 

Lifting barriers is supported by the Global Partnership for Education’s Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (GPE-KIX), a joint endeavour with the International Development Research Centre, Canada. https://www.gpekix.org/project/lifting-barriers-educated-boys-gender-equality