The Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education Bangladesh (DSHE) and Plan International Bangladesh on Sunday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for strengthening the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) program in the academic institutions in Bangladesh.
The MoU will ensure the well-being of our children and adolescents, said a press release issued by Plan International Bangladesh.
Director General of DSHE Professor Nehal Ahmed and Country Director of Plan International Bangladesh Kabita Bose signed the MoU on behalf of their respective organizations at the DSHE office in Dhaka.
This long-term collaboration aims to ensure the Gender Equality Movement in Schools (GEMS) and Madrasah, develop and roll out Gender Responsive Inclusive Pedagogy Training Manual for Teachers, and roll out the Psychosocial Counselling Module for teachers as per DSHE’s guidelines.
Under this MoU, these two organizations will work closely together to address emergency responses in Educational Institutions (Schools and Madrashas), create green and clean schools, address ethics and empathy, establish a functional student cabinet and adolescent corner, providing financial support.
It also includes- facilitating school gardening, hand washing stations at school, WASH support and training, and ensuring Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM).
While speaking at the event, DSHE’s General Director Professor Nehal Ahmed said,” The GEMS Curriculum is more than a curriculum. The topics covered by GEMS are the issues which we are not comfortable discussing within the family or as a society. It is a great achievement that together with Plan International Bangladesh, we have extended this curriculum to madrashas as well”.
Kabita Bose, country director of Plan International Bangladesh, said that her organization feels honoured and delighted to have such a long-standing partnership with the DSHE.
“I would like to extend heartfelt appreciation for their continuous support in all of our higher secondary educational institution-related interventions including providing their experts for TOT, cascading teacher’s training and monitoring visits for quality implementation of GEMS curriculum package, in 1004 educational institutions and so on, ” she added.
As per the MoU, the Development and Planning wing of DSHE will be the focal point for the development and coordination of Plan International Bangladesh.
Professor Dr AQM Shafiul Azam, Director (Planning and Development), DSHE, Dil Afroz Bint-E-Asir, assistant director-2, Planning and Development, DSHE, Ferdousi Begum, Lead of SRHR, Plan International Bangladesh, Syed Md Nuruddin, CSE Advisor, Plan International Bangladesh were present during the MoU signing ceremony.
