In her opening remarks, Sun Lei from the UNESCO Office in Hanoi emphasised that gender equality is a key factor in sustainable development and the foundation of an integrated and peaceful society. Ensuring that girls and boys have equal access to quality education is an important step to ensure gender equality, meeting national development goals and completing Sustainable Development Goals, especially those concerning education and gender equality.
Highlighting the role of the media in forming, orienting and strengthening public opinion, Sun Lei said that the media played an important role in creating a favourable environment for the implementation of the right to education of girls and women and shaping the public's thinking about gender issues.
At the seminar, delegates presented the action plan on gender equality during 2016-2020 for the education sector, documents for strengthening gender equality into the education for sustainable development strategic plan, and guidelines on eliminating gender bias in programmes and textbooks.
Deputy Director of the Department of Organisation and Personnel and Deputy Chairman of the Board for the Advancement of Women under the MoET Tran Kim Tu informed the group of the results achieved in developing the action plan on gender equality for the education sector during 2016-2020, which includes seven criteria, 36 objectives and a range of measures addressing issues in the field of education, such as gender awareness, gender equality and the importance of data disaggregated by sex.
Ngo Minh Hien, Head of VOV’s International Co-operation Department, stressed the importance of awareness raising and capacity building of journalists and reporters on making news, articles and programmes on gender equality and women and girls' education.
The Gender Equality and Girls’ Education Initiative in Vietnam was launched by the MoET and UNESCO in August 2015, aimed at boosting the rights of girls and women in education and eliminating inequalities they face in their families, schools and communities.
The initiative has achieved significant results in strengthening capacity for the education sector to ensure gender equality in planning, management, and mainstreaming gender issues in curriculums and textbooks.
