Subject of gender equality to be introduced into Georgian schools

The Minister of Education and Science of Georgia has signed a memorandum under the United Nations Gender Equality Program which envisions the addition of several subjects to the school curriculum.

Subjects to be included are Human rights, gender equality, healthy lifestyles and reproductive health issues, with the program being supported by the Swedish Government.

The effort implies cooperation between the Ministry of Education of Georgia and three different UN programs, including the UN Development Program, the UN Population Fund and UN Women – the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. These organizations will be assisting Georgia in three areas:

• Formal education in schools
• Non-formal education, including parental education
• Vocational education and training

They will support the Ministry of Education in analyzing the perspectives of gender equality, the development of new educational programs, improvement of teaching quality and the retraining of teachers.

The Human Rights Committee of the Parliament of Georgia also shares the importance of reproductive health education in schools. The Committee reviewed and accepted the recommendation made by the Public Defender on 10 May regarding the inclusion of the main issues of reproductive, sexual health and rights to the educational program for pupils.

The Human Rights Committee said that it’s important to raise awareness among young people on reproductive health issues in order to provide them with relevant information about family planning, contraception, and risks associated with early marriages.