Between 2017 and 2019, the DBE and other South African stakeholders were involved in the development of an international toolkit on Gender-responsive Pedagogy for early childhood education. This toolkit is aimed at supporting African early childhood educators and school leaders to ensure a gender-responsive and play-based learning environment.

As part of the Department’s Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the VVOB - Education for Development, the DBE is receiving technical assistance to contextualise the toolkit to guide the implementation of a gender responsive pedagogy in early childhood.

VVOB received funding to contextualise this toolkit for relevance in South Africa and to carry out field-testing in the training of practitioners. This contextualisation exercise is an extension of work that commenced under the 2017 to 2021 programme.

The DBE and VVOB, together with the Institute for Life Course Health Research of the Stellenbosch University, hosted the initial workshop of contextualisation of the toolkit on 04 and 05 March 2020, at the DBE in Pretoria. Stakeholders and partners were invited to contribute towards the contextualisation process of the toolkit as a concerted effort from all DBE Branches.

The objective is to arm the curriculum and the way curriculum is delivered in a gender responsive manner, un-gender and re-gender. Early intervention will assist children to subscribe to the values of equality and healthy gender norms and to grow up freely exploring and developing their unique interests and talents.