Global education policy discourses recognise the interplay between gender inequities, conflict and social cohesion and frame education as a powerful means of achieving gender equity, conflict mitigation and the realisation of... [ view full abstract ]
Global education policy discourses recognise the interplay between gender inequities, conflict and social cohesion and frame education as a powerful means of achieving gender equity, conflict mitigation and the realisation of inclusive, cohesive and just societies. A review of literature on the relationship between gender, education and conflict highlights a range of theoretical and empirical gaps. For example, studies exploring the relationship between education, conflict and social cohesion seldom focus on gender. Likewise, the literature on conflict and peace largely ignores the gendered drivers of conflict, which obscures the interconnections between gender inequities in education and conflict. Furthermore, limited empirical evidence exists regarding the ways educational reforms, including those in curriculum and teacher education, may contribute to social cohesion and conflict mitigation.
This paper addresses the above gaps by utilising an interdisciplinary framework of the 4Rs—redistribution, reconciliation, representation and reconciliation—to explore the extent to which reforms in the curriculum and teacher education supported teachers in mitigating multiple gender injustices and gendered conflict drivers in Pakistan. In the post 9/11 context, Pakistan undertook large-scale reforms in the curriculum and teacher education, with the technical and financial support of international donors. These reforms aimed to enhance education quality and promote multiculturalism and social transformation.
A multi-method approach, generating data from a range of educational stakeholders and analysis of curriculum texts, is used to shed light on the ways reforms in the curriculum and teacher education contributed to gender justice in Pakistan. The analysis of data seeks to deconstruct the educational discourses to unmask gender and its intersection with conflict and explore new spaces for agency that could contribute to gender justice. Findings illuminate the ways the reform context offered possibilities but also constrained teachers in pursuing a gender justice agenda. The paper offers policy implications that have significance beyond Pakistan.
