Don Bosco Palabek Champions Inclusivity with Milestone Gender Policy Training for Educators

PALABEK, UGANDA — In a major step toward fostering an inclusive and empowering learning environment, the Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB) Africa Great Lakes (AGL) Province recently rolled out a comprehensive Gender Policy training for educators in the Palabek Refugee Settlement.

Organized by the “Gender Matters for Green TVET” project office in Uganda—an initiative made possible with funding from the Austrian Development Cooperation and Jugend Eine Welt—the training sessions were spearheaded by Project Manager Mr. Mutala Innocent and his dedicated team. The sessions targeted teachers from the Don Bosco Vocational Training Center (VTC) alongside educators from the three nursery schools operating within the settlement.

This vital initiative follows the official approval of the SDB AGL Province TVET Gender Policy in early 2026. The overarching goal of the newly implemented policy is to achieve social justice, economic empowerment, and sustainable development by dismantling systemic barriers and cultural biases within Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).

During the training, Mr. Mutala and his team guided educators through foundational concepts, such as the distinction between socially constructed gender roles and biologically determined sex roles, as well as the difference between practical and strategic gender needs. The sessions heavily emphasized “Institutional Gender Mainstreaming,” focusing on building the technical capacity, political will, accountability, and organizational culture necessary to maintain a safe and equitable environment.

For Don Bosco Palabek specifically, the training directly addressed several critical action areas identified in the center’s Gender Policy Implementation Plan:

• Enhancing PSHEA Awareness: A primary objective was to ensure all management and teaching staff fully understand the Prevention of Sexual Harassment, Exploitation, and Abuse (PSHEA) policy, which is essential for maintaining a safe, respectful, and confidential reporting environment.
• Supporting Slow Learners: The training tackled the identified issue of teachers inadvertently neglecting slow learners, a challenge that disproportionately affects girls. Educators were introduced to affirmative action strategies, such as granting these students an extra 30 minutes during exams to ensure their active participation and success.
• Challenging Cultural Biases: The sessions equipped teachers with strategies to combat entrenched societal pressures that discourage girls from pursuing technical, male-dominated courses and boys from entering service-oriented fields.

This recent training marks the launch of a continuous, long-term commitment at the settlement. According to the SDB Palabek implementation framework, structured gender trainings for staff and students are mandated to take place on a quarterly basis moving forward.

By equipping teachers with gender-responsive pedagogical tools and a deep understanding of equity, Don Bosco Palabek is reaffirming its core mission to empower vulnerable groups and ensure equitable access to quality education for all learners, regardless of gender.