INTEGRATING WOMEN SAFETY EDUCATION INTO PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL CURRICULA IN PUNJAB, PAKISTAN: PERCEPTIONS OF TEACHERS AND STUDENTS

Abstract

The present study aimed to explore the perceptions of public high school teachers and students in Punjab regarding the inclusion of women's safety education in the curricula. Opinions of teachers and students were investigated on five important aspects of women's safety education, including awareness of women's safety education, inclusion of women's safety education into curricula, cultural and societal acceptability of women safety education, challenges and hurdles in the integration of women safety education into curricula and the overall effects of implementing women safety education. Public secondary school teachers and students of Punjab province were the target population of the study. The data was collected through a self-constructed structured questionnaire on a five-point Likert scale. Experts and peers validated the research instrument. The research tool was administered through Google Forms and remained open for 20 days. Two hundred and seventy-seven responses were received from all over the Punjab province. The results of the study were derived by analyzing the data using SPSS version 27. The major findings include that institutional support, teamwork, and ongoing development are crucial for the successful implementation of women's safety education in schools. Moreover, a safe and respected learning environment in schools can be ensured by introducing women's safety education. The study suggested that further research may be conducted on the implementation and outcomes of pilot programs for women's safety education in public high schools in Punjab.

Key Words: Curricula, Public high schools, Women safety education