Catholics want women to beat gender bias

Momase

By JACKLYN SIRIAS
East Sepik Catholic Education Board encourages women teachers to take up senior positions to promote gender equality in schools, says secretary Anastasia Tia.
She told The National that in the past the senior positions, especially head-teacher positions, were male-dominated.
Tia said many of those male teachers were not qualified.
“Through using the Eucation Gazette that came out, we found out that most of the positions occupied by male head teachers in schools in the province, were taken up by people who do not have qualifications as required by the education board,” Tia said.
“We also discovered that there has been foul play in the system with qualified women teachers not given the supposed positions.”
She said the board was trying to address the gender equality issue by changing the system of only males holding senior positions like principals and head-teachers.
Tia said the board had this year allowed qualified women teachers to take up head-teacher and deputy head-teacher positions in the province.
“It is their right to participate equally in positions that were once male-dominated,” she said.
“We cannot deny them that.
“We are now making sure women who are eligible for different teaching positions get what they are entitled to.”
Tia said where there was a male head-teacher, the deputy should be female and vice-versa.
“It is not about only empowering women, but to encourage participation of both men and women in developing quality education system within the province,” she said.
“I am trying to support the idea of gender equality and make women come out to take up roles which they are capable in performing, but for which they have been denied their rights.”