Ćalasan: Textbook revision to eliminate gender stereotypes and strengthen gender equality in the education system

The Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation (MESI) will begin work early next year on changes to the curriculum and teaching content, including a revision of textbooks, in order to remove gender stereotypes and strengthen gender equality in the education system, announced State Secretary Tatjana Ćalasan.

She told the MINA agency that the education reform being implemented by the Ministry of Education and Science is intended as a comprehensive process for which the Education Reform Strategy envisages a ten-year period, and that this government department has previously prioritized the creation of infrastructural, legal and institutional prerequisites for changes and breakthroughs.

"First, an analysis of the situation in all educational facilities was conducted. Then, work was done on creating legal frameworks and educating teachers. Now we are coming to the next phase - curriculum and content reform," said Ćalasan.

She emphasized that gender equality should not be a separate topic that is addressed occasionally, but a principle that will be incorporated into the entire education system - from preschool education to university. This, she pointed out, is the principle that the Ministry of Education and Science applies.

Speaking about the recommendations from the Analysis of Primary School Curriculum and Textbooks from a Gender Perspective (LINK) for several subjects, Ćalasan said that textbook revision is one of the strategic goals of the reform.

"We will get an improved curriculum. I don't just mean gender equality and inclusion in general, but the intention to get a curriculum that will keep up with the times," Ćalasan said.

Asked whether this means that textbooks and curricula will be changed in accordance with the recommendations of the Analysis, which, among other things, relate to hidden stereotypical narratives, the underrepresentation of women and girls in teaching content, the inconsistent use of gender-sensitive language, but also the general invisibility of gender equality, Ćalasan answered in the affirmative.

"Absolutely yes. That is one of the strategic goals of the Strategy. The next phase will include analysis, curriculum improvement, and work on textbooks. We are aware that the textbook is the first tool a child encounters and that the content must send the message that girls can be physicists, scientists, or whatever they want," said Ćalasan.

According to her, work on new curricula and teaching content should begin early next year, and domestic and international experts will be involved in the process.

"Expertise will have to come from Europe, but also from our national staff who are knowledgeable, and we have people who are aware and ready to contribute to the process. It is important that we break down barriers through content and bring the values ​​of modern society closer to children," said Ćalasan.

Program Director of the Center for Women's Rights, Anita Stijepčević, assessed that changes in teaching content are key to combating gender stereotypes that are reproduced throughout the education system.

"The analysis showed open stereotyping, which we at CŽP and those generally interested in education have been pointing out for years. We saw that there were not enough women among the authors and that gender stereotypes were present in the teaching content," said Stijepčević, pointing out the need to revise curricula and textbooks because they significantly shape children's attitudes.

She stated that the changes are not only a matter of recommendations from the civil sector, but also an international obligation of Montenegro.

"The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women calls on Montenegro to revise its curricula to eliminate gender stereotypes and provide gender-sensitive teaching materials at all levels of education," Stijepčević reminded.

According to her, it is good that the Education Reform Strategy also envisages the development of children's social and emotional skills.

"Our children must learn to recognize emotions, talk about them, and understand how others feel. I see the development of emotional intelligence as one of the keys to creating a more equal society," said Stijepčević.

Education is key to overcoming gender stereotypes when choosing a career

Ćalasan and Stijepčević agree that gender stereotypes still significantly influence the career choices of girls and boys, but also that there are concrete steps that can contribute to greater inclusion of girls in STEM fields - science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

As Ćalasan stated, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology is already working on programs that aim to encourage girls to choose STEM careers.

She stated that this year, a support program will be implemented in ten educational institutions - five elementary and five high schools - in which successful women from the STEM field will talk to students about their careers and professional paths.

"The goal is not for all girls to study physics or computer science, but for the girl who has the interest and talent to receive the message that she can do it and for such a choice to be equally available to her as to every boy," said Ćalasan.

As she explained, in addition to promoting successful female scientists, the Ministry is also working on modernizing laboratories, developing STEM classrooms, and increasing the involvement of children in practical work through robotics, 3D printing, and other modern technologies.

Ćalasan believes that changes are already visible and that girls' interest in science and technology is increasing, citing the example of girls participating equally or even more than boys in certain robotics competitions.

Stijepčević also pointed out the fact that in Montenegro the problem is not the level of women's education, but the fact that they still rarely choose highly paid professions and sectors in which key decisions are made.

"Women in Montenegro are more educated than men, and these differences are particularly visible at higher levels of education. The problem is that there are not enough of them in highly paid professions, and they are much more often represented in occupations that have experienced feminization," said Stijepčević.

She recalled that education, social protection and similar sectors are predominantly female, but at the same time they are often less valued and less paid than areas that are traditionally considered "male".

"We are witnessing the feminization of certain professions, which means that they are dominated by women, but this is not accompanied by appropriate social status, economic valorization, or the presence of women in decision-making positions," Stijepčević assessed.

According to her, this is precisely why it is important for girls to receive the message from an early age that they can choose any profession, including science, technology and engineering, without the limitations imposed by gender stereotypes.

She said that affirmative measures and the promotion of successful women in STEM fields can yield results, but that key change will only come when the education system, through content, textbooks, and curricula, stops reproducing traditional notions of "female" and "male" professions.

The podcast assessed that changes will take time, but that there is a clear political will and strategic framework to systematically integrate gender equality into education through new curricula, teaching content, and textbooks.