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Title: 
Gender-responsive teaching and learning in the early years (GENTLE)
Location: 
Quang Nam and Quang Ngai provinces (central Vietnam)
Timing: 
2018-2021
Budget: 
€ 535,320
Donor: 
Belgium; European Union
Sector: 
Early childhood education
Focus: 
Learning through play; gender-responsive pedagogy; gender-based violence; professional development of teachers (INSET) and school leaders; equity
Flagship: 
Gender-responsive pedagogy
Challenge: 

Young children in Vietnam are exposed to gender roles and expectations. This early gender socialisation is reinforced in preschool environments (e.g. through gender-specific toys and gender-based activities). Particularly in the central provinces of Vietnam, inequalities due to early gender socialisation are among the most persisting equity issues, affecting both girls and boys.

Children start forming their gender identities at the age of 4. Addressing children’s early years’ experiences through gender-responsive play-based learning is crucial to impact their long term cognitive and social-emotional development, and to work on the prevention and elimination of gender-inequality, a precursor to gender-based violence.

The Vietnamese government, preschool teachers and leaders show commitment to promote gender-responsive play-based learning but need support to achieve their goals. Parents and communities are not always aware of gender bias and its impact on children or are hesitant to change existing gender norms.

Goal: 

Teachers, school leaders, parents and guardians in 14 mountainous districts in central Vietnam implemented gender-responsive play-based learning in preschool and at home, contributing to the development of positive identities, relationships and self-esteem in 3-5-year-old children.

Partners: 
Approach: 

The GENTLE project transformed preschools in 14 districts in central Vietnam into environments of gender-responsive play-based learning, involving parents (and fathers in particular) to the fullest in the process.

The project centred on developing the capacity of preschool teachers and school leaders to challenge social and gender norms, create new rules, and support children in adopting new, more equitable attitudes and behaviours. Preschool teachers and school leaders were provided with tools to effectively implement gender-responsive play-based learning at school and to advocate for this approach at home too with the parents of their young learners.

The project was built around 4 pillars:

  • Development and testing of a toolkit for gender-responsive play-based learning in preschools.
  • Capacity building of preschool teachers, school leaders, DOET and BOET staff for implementing gender-responsive play-based learning.
  • Development and implementation of a parent-school sensitisation model on gender-responsive play-based learning.
  • Organisation of an advocacy campaign to make gender-responsive play-based learning part of the nationwide in-service curriculum for preschools.

Achievements of the GENTLE project:

  • A toolkit for teachers and school leaders on gender-responsive play-based learning was developed, tested and in use in all 153 preschools in 14 districts of two provinces in central Vietnam. 
  • 15 preschools in 14 districts of two provinces in Central Vietnam have been transformed into model schools for gender-responsive play-based learning.
  • DOET and BOET early childhood education staff of the 2 provinces/14 districts have provided an enabling environment and in-service professional development for gender-responsive play-based learning, allowing for the implementation in all 153 preschools in the 14 districts. 
  • A parent-school sensitisation model on gender-responsive play-based learning has been developed and implemented involving 24,900 parents/guardians (with special focus on fathers) in 14 districts in 2 provinces in central Vietnam.
  • An advocacy campaign has been implemented to make gender-responsive play-based learning part of the nationwide in-service curriculum for preschools. 

Disclaimer: due to administrative reforms in the provinces, the exact number of districts and schools differs slightly from the project targets after two districts in Quang Ngai merged and some schools were also merged. The project did still reach the same communities and all schools in the original intervention areas of Quang Nam and Quang Ngai provinces.

To reach its goals, VVOB Vietnam develops the capacity of its education partners. VVOB uses capacity development trajectories that give partners maximal responsibility in the execution and management of their own change processes. This is done through technical assistance provided by the VVOB Vietnam team, which includes both local and international educational and change management experts.

Potential for scaling

  • The GENTLE project has built capacity for change agents including DOETs, BOETs, school leaders and teachers in gender-responsive play-based learning. Change agents of all districts now apply this type of learning and have integrated in-service learning in their own teacher professional development (TPD) methodologies.
  • The GRP toolkit was endorsed by the Ministry of Education and Training, confirming that the toolkit is fully in line with the Ministry's priorities and filling a need to overcome the policy-implementation gap.  
  • VVOB has developed the GRP e-course on Moodle which allows for dissemination and integration into the pre-service and in-service system. Further funding and a policy dialogue with MOET to integrate the course into their Enhancing Teacher Education Program (ETEP) are needed to make this happen.
  • Although gender is not the main topic of VVOB's project TALK 22-26, gender-related content will be still introduced, allowing the TALK provinces’ teachers and school leaders to access the GRP toolkit.