Pokhara University hosted the third virtual workshop on “Curriculum and Pedagogy for Gender Sensitivity” on Tuesday, as part of the Erasmus+ MAGENDA Project on capacity building in higher education. The project, supported by the European Union, involves collaboration between ten universities from Nepal, Bangladesh, and Europe.

The event was inaugurated by Associate Professor Namraj Dhami, MAGENDA Project Coordinator, who discussed the importance of incorporating gender-inclusive pedagogy in institutional frameworks. The workshop was coordinated by Bangladesh Open University (BOU).

Deepmala Shrestha, a faculty member at Pokhara University, delivered the keynote address and introduced the Gender-Inclusive Pedagogical (GIP) framework. She noted that while gender aspects are present in the curriculum, challenges remain in terms of awareness and practical implementation. This discussion followed comments from Md Mizanoor Rahman, who observed that Bangladesh had made progress through gender-sensitive budgeting.

Prof Rishikesh Pandey of Pokhara University moderated the event. During the discussions, he noted that several higher education institutions in Nepal already run programs focused on gender and development. Professor Mohammad Mizanul Haque Kazal of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University highlighted the need for effective strategies to implement Gender Equality Plans (GEPs).

In her concluding remarks, Professor Sabina, MAGENDA Project Manager at BOU, said that shared experiences from universities in Bangladesh and Nepal could help shape future GEPs in Asia. Professor Md Serajul Islam, Director of the Institutional Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) at BOU and a MAGENDA researcher, also attended the workshop.