By Sandy Hooda
I come from a family of 6 children – the 5 oldest are boys. I didn’t have a sister until I was 10 years old. If it wasn’t for school, I wouldn’t have had many interactions with girls at all. Those interactions from kindergarten helped me develop friendships with both boys and girls, some of whom had much different upbringings. School is a great equaliser in this regard.
Children must develop from a young age
Some traditional schools provide gender-specific settings. All boys and all girls schools are still easily found throughout the world. While there are many arguments for and against these settings, there is one area that becomes clear: if we want our children to grow up knowing, accepting, and respecting others, they must develop that from a young age.
Create an environment of equality
If you put any group of small children together, they will play without regard to gender, colour, or other differences. They learn to respect one another and become familiar and comfortable with the differences. The best schools in Gurgaon create environments where children experience both academic and social development together. Teachers treat all children equally, and become models for acceptance of others. These experiences and the exposure that happens through years of school creates a deep personal understanding. This experiential learning is far more effective than learning from lectures or books.
Gender exposure and equality should begin at a young age
On the other hand, if exposure to the opposite gender or the introduction of social issues like gender equality happen later in childhood, they are less likely to be internalised. There might also be incorrect or outdated assumptions about gender that have taken root and then compete with new ideas. Early instruction is best.
Concepts of justice and equality need to be embedded in schools
The top Gurgaon schools focus on holistic development which includes a conviction for gender equality. Students are given academics in real-world situations that address important issues like discrimination based on gender, color, caste, ability, religion and more. These schools have an emphasis for serving and improving the community and society. Concepts of justice and equality are embedded in problem based learning alongside academics.