Evaluation of the Transformative Potential of Positive Gender Socialization in Education for Peacebuilding

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) commissioned American Institutes for Research (AIR) to conduct an evaluation of the Karamoja, Uganda, pilot of the programme Gender Socialization in Schools: Enhancing the transformative power of education for peacebuilding. Supported by UNICEF and the Ugandan Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Sports (MoESTS), the programme aimed to trial a practical, school-based intervention to demonstrate the peacebuilding potential of positive gender socialization in the conflict-affected Karamoja region of north-eastern Uganda. This report is part of the knowledge generation component of the Peacebuilding, Education and Advocacy in Conflict-Affected Contexts (PBEA) programme, a partnership between UNICEF and the Government of the Netherlands. To evaluate the programme, AIR used a mixed-methods cluster randomized controlled trial to examine the short-term impact of teacher training and the complementary effects of Short Message Service (SMS) text messages on teachers' knowledge, attitudes and practices around gender equality and gender socialization. Qualitative inquiry methods were also used to explore how the programme worked. The evaluation yielded three main findings:

1. Positive evidence showed that the programme succeeded in increasing teachers' knowledge of and attitudes towards gender equality issues in the short term.
2. Limited evidence was found to demonstrate that the programme influenced overall teacher practices(at least in the short term).
3. Limited evidence was found for positive complementary effects of the SMS component on teachers' knowledge, attitudes and practices.