Equality as a mandatory subject
Plurales project, which aims to contribute to the implementation of a school model based on equality, is beginning to bearfruit. A good example is IES Francisco García Pavón in Tomelloso (Ciudad Real).
23.09.2014
Three years ago, there were not Roma or Muslim students in IES Francisco García Pavón in Tomelloso (Ciudad Real). Today, not only they attend classes, but also they are actively engaged in the activities developed under the Plurales project, operated by the Women’s Institute and co-financed by the EEA Grants.
One year after this project to implement equality plans in school started, a lot of good things have been achieved. It is not uncommon anymore boys skipping rope during the class break or girls in chess tournament organized by the educational centre. Ana’s motivational workshop are not only attended by girls, as before, but there are also boys, and from different backgrounds and religions who through talks and discussions break stereotypes and realize that they could achieve whatever they want in their lives. Equality is part of their vocabulary, and in every language talked in this school in the Spanish region of La Mancha.
However, far from stop it here, the team in charge of the project implementation has prepared new activities for the 2014-2015 school year, like the celebration of Men’s Day, the mainstreaming of equality in all the subjects or the creation of gender observers group in classrooms to detect any discrimination.
“Plurales has taught us to be more careful with the language and in our daily lives… We are very pleased to be part of this project, we are learning so much…”, points out Victoria Viciana, Director of Studies.
“It is really impressing what they are doing, their dedication is moving and inspiring and we would like that the Norwegian schools would follow this path”, highlighted Rachel E. Paul, one of the representatives from the Norwegian Ombud for Equality and Against Discrimination (LDO) who visited the centre, accompanied by the Spanish General Director for Equality, Carmen Plaza.
IES Francisco García Pavón is one of the nine educational centre which participates in the Plurales. Education for Equality project, one of the pre-defined within the EEA Grants Gender Equality Programme, operated by the Secretary of State for Social Services and Equality. The objective is to create an intervention model to facilitate the design and implementation of equality plans at schools to foster equal opportunities between women and men within the classrooms.