This is the third time that the DoE has followed up with its district education offices on implementing the directive this academic year."The schools must form gender focal points and install a complaint box for school girls so that they can report matters related to gender and sexual violence within the given time," said Durga Kandel, deputy director at the department.
After the schools resumed in May, the DoE had also directed the district offices to find out if the students in their areas had suffered any kind of sexual violence while they stayed in the open after earthquake.
Despite the DoE's initiations to raise awareness about gender sensitivity at schools at the beginning of the new session on mid-April, the schools have delayed the formation of such forums.
In its latest directive, the DoE has asked the schools to appoint a female teacher as the coordinator of focal units so that girl students can feel free to speak up about their problems, mentioned Kandel.
The DoE is launching an awareness campaign side-by-side the two week-long school enrollment drive that begins Thursday, the first day of the new academic session.
The gender focal units at schools are required to interact with the children and prepare a report based on the interaction. The units have also been asked to counsel the students and adopt measures to help raise awareness among schoolgoers.
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