Abstract

The gender disparities in access, retention and success rates that exist at secondary school level can be attributed to a number of reasons, one of them being the classroom interactions. The kinds of interactions that go on in the classroom are among the factors that determine who successfully completes his or her education. These can be interactions between teachers and students of both sexes or among students themselves. The purpose of this study was to investigate how secondary school teachers are implementing the gender equity policy at classroom level. The study used a mixed methods design in which the qualitative approach was predominant. Data was generated from three secondary schools in Lilongwe urban using classroom observations, interviews with teachers, Focus Group Discussions with students and a questionnaire with teachers and students. The results of this study revealed that (i) most teachers were not fully aware of gender equity policies and practices therefore lacked understanding of the policy, (ii) poor implementation of gender equity policy was due to lack of proper policy communication, lack of appropriate training and professional development for teachers, and cultural and religious beliefs among others. The study concludes that most teachers need frequent in-service training to provide them with adequate knowledge and skills geared at enforcing positive attitudes toward gender issues. This will have a positive implication on successful implementation of gender related policies in education.

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School	: School of Law, Economics and Government
Issued Date	: 2017

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