“I choose school-related gender-based violence prevention and response”

Author: Plan International

Every two years in October, hundreds of lower secondary schools in Hanoi, Viet Nam prepare for the Best Homeroom Teachers competition. It is one of the major events in the education sector, honoring the role of homeroom teachers, as the advisor to the class, in educating and orienting their students.

Students facilitating a group activity in Ms. Thuy’s class thematic discussion at the Best Homeroom Teachers Competition, final round at City level on 16 November 2015. Photo: Phu Lo lower secondary school

Ms. Tran Thi Thuy, the homeroom teacher of class 7A1 in Phu Lo lower secondary school in Soc Son district, is one of 701 homeroom teachers in 20 secondary schools participating in a Gender Responsive Schools pilot model project. The Department of Education and Training of Hanoi is implementing this project, with support from the United Nations Trust Fund to End violence against Women (UNTF) and Plan International.

“In previous years, I often selected traditional topics such as student discipline for my thematic discussion as these topics were not so difficult to win the competition. However, after having 12 lessons on gender equality and school-related gender-based violence in the 2014-2015 school year, I chose the theme of skills to respond to gender-based violence for my students,” said Ms. Thuy.

“My colleagues were surprised and wondered whether I was right to choose a new issue. But I insisted on performing Emotional Management skill – one of the lessons of the Gender project – for my class theme. I was confident about the knowledge and teaching methodologies gained from the project, together with the positive changes of my students,” continued Thuy.

During the 2014-2015 school year, Thuy and her colleagues delivered nearly 5,000 class sessions on gender equality and responses to gender-based violence. The sessions helped bring positive changes to more than 31,000 students in Hanoi, giving them more confidence and contributing to the elimination of school-related, gender-based violence in Hanoi.

“The result was that my class session was nominated for the final round of the City-level competition. For the first time, gender equality and responses to gender-based violence has been recognised as essential knowledge and skills that a teacher can provide students,” said an elated Ms. Thuy.