Institutionalizing Gender Equity in Education: Capacity Building of DIET faculty in Jharkhand

With the objective of upholding its commitment towards creating and sustaining gender equitable and inclusive schools, as enshrined in the Right to Education Act and National Education Policy, ICRW has been supporting the Education department in the state of Jharkhand, India in developing and rolling-out a gender program in schools across the state. As a part of this effort, ICRW recently conducted a series of capacity building workshops with over 150 teachers from Jharkhand’s District Institute of Education and Training (DIET), at the request of the Jharkhand Council of Educational Research and Training (JCERT). JCERT functions as the academic authority in formulating and implementing policies and programs of the state government in the field of school and teacher education.

The training was delivered online via Zoom, in a batch-wise format, with each batch comprising approximately 20–25 teachers from DIET. Each workshop was spread over 5 days and was designed to balance content delivery with active participation. A mix of plenary sessions and small-group activities in breakout rooms was used to foster interaction, enable peer learning, and simulate classroom facilitation. Sessions focused on key themes related to gender, such as the difference between gender and sex, gender-based division of labour, power, gender-based violence, and the emotional and physical changes during adolescence. The sessions built from foundational concepts to applied classroom strategies, with strong emphasis on reflection, participation, and group learning.

Capacity building of stakeholders within the school system has been a core strategy of ICRW’s long-standing engagement with the state. As a part of the Gender Equity Movement in Schools (GEMS) program, currently being implemented in Jamtara and Godda, ICRW has conducted multiple rounds of capacity building with teachers as well as school leadership, including school principals, Block and Cluster Resource Persons to build their perspective around different gender themes covered in the GEMS curriculum. In addition to this, ICRW has also conducted capacity building workshops with DIET faculty from Pakur, Sahibganj, and Deoghar districts in 2024. Building on the gains from the previous rounds, this round of capacity building included DIET teachers from all districts in the state and was aimed at enabling them to conduct gender training of teachers across the state of Jharkhand.

Capacity building of DIET faculty members is deeply significant, for they serve as a central node of influence in the education system and engagement with them is impactful towards ensuring long-term continuity. DIETs are district-level institutions in India created to offer academic guidance and resource support at the grassroots level, ensuring the effective implementation of strategies and programs in elementary and adult education. In particular, DIET faculty conduct pre-service and in-service training programs for teachers, help develop context-specific curriculum, teaching aids and evaluation tools, as well as facilitate collaboration with various stakeholders to improve the overall educational environment.

Through these capacity building workshops on gender-equitable perspectives and teaching strategies, ICRW is playing an instrumental role in ensuring that teachers across districts in Jharkhand are sensitized to the need and significance of gender equitable attitudes and behaviours, at home, places of work as well as their communities. Reflecting on the discussions that were conducted during the training, participants reported that it helped them understand the social and normative underpinnings of gender roles and behaviours. Many teachers shared how the workshops prompted them to question long-held assumptions. For instance, some participants recognized their own unconscious bias in assigning domestic chores primarily to women, without considering the underlying reasons. One female teacher reflected that although she had been performing household responsibilities for years, the training enabled her to link this practice to broader systems of gender inequality. Similarly, discussions on gender-based violence elicited conversations around the impact of violence on marginalized groups, the need to expand the conversation beyond the gender binary, and different manifestations of violence in schools. Teachers also engaged on the direct relationship between power and violence, particularly against children. Despite corporal punishment being banned, teachers acknowledged its persistence and explored non-violent methods of discipline. Overall, the workshops created space for deep self-reflection, with several participants acknowledging the need to challenge entrenched norms and commit to practising more equitable behaviours – both in their personal lives and in their professional roles as educators.

Given that DIETs are mandated to provide both pre-service (for aspiring teachers) and in-person (for practising teachers) training, these discussions have positive implications towards mainstreaming gender sensitive pedagogy within the formal education system. Equipping DIET faculty with an understanding of gender has a multiplier effect, with teachers and students across the state becoming sensitized to these issues. Over time, this can lead to standardized practices and sustainable change, ensuring that present and future generations of teachers enter classrooms already equipped to challenge stereotypes and nurture equitable learning environments. Also, since DIETs are permanent district-level institutions, these workshops help embed gender knowledge and responsiveness as a permanent feature of teacher training infrastructure. Additionally, since DIETs are closely linked with state education departments, faculty trained in gender can bridge policy directives (like NEP’s emphasis on inclusion) with the day-to-day realities of teachers and classrooms, making implementation more effective.

Through these workshops, ICRW is also creating a pool of resource persons and champions within the system who can advocate for gender equity in other forums, such as curriculum revision committees, school monitoring, and district level education planning, while at the same time sparking important conversations at home, influence parental attitudes and gradually shift social norms within communities. This ripple effect means that the impact of training extends beyond school walls, contributing to broader societal change where gender-equitable practices become visible, accepted, and replicated in daily life.

The capacity-building effort represents a critical investment in the future of Jharkhand’s education system. By strengthening the perspectives and practices of those who train teachers, ICRW is successfully embedding gender equity into the very foundation of teacher preparation and development. The long-term impact of these efforts extends beyond the classroom – shaping how teachers engage with students, how students grow up understanding equality and inclusion, and how communities begin to reexamine deeply entrenched norms. Such initiatives also ensure continuity, scalability, and sustainability, making gender-responsive pedagogy not an isolated effort but a standard practice. Ultimately, these workshops move us closer to building schools as spaces that are gender-equitable, responsive, and inclusive.