Gender
Gender Office Director’s Message It is my pleasure to welcome you to the web page of the Gender Office. The Gender Office of Bahir Dar University (BDU) is involved in a variety of activities that aim: To empower female students towards success in their studies. To this end, it organizes different life skills trainings/workshops and gender awareness programs that aim to ease campus life for female students; provides tutorials on selected courses; assists needy students financially and materially; and arranges counseling services. To empower female lecturers towards excellence in teaching and enhancing their role in research, management and leadership. For this, the office organizes experience sharing by providing discussion and learning forums in which female lecturers get to know each other, learn from each other and develop the habit of collaboration. The office also organizes trainings and workshops on different issues. In accomplishing such activities, the Office seeks the support and collaboration of different stakeholders (internal/external, local/abroad). If you would like to support or collaborate with the Office in any aspect, our door is open. Let’s work hand in hand towards creating a comfortable learning and working environment for everyone! Thank you for visiting the web page and I would be happy to receive your feedback. Background The Gender Office of BDU (formerly known as the Female Education Center) was established in 2001 G.C as a committee to support BDU’s female students in their effort towards successful completion of studies. Currently, the Gender Office coordinates a variety of initiatives that are geared towards enhancing female students’ success in their academic life and promoting gender equality. The Gender Office is directly accountable to the office of the President. Major activities The Gender Office’s main work is focused on supporting female students in successful completion of their studies. The office organizes orientation and welcome programs for first-year female students. Gender Office activities include: Providing orientation programs for first-year female students about different aspects of campus life, including introducing the environment Making reading rooms available to female students Providing reading material for female students Organizing tutorials to female first-year students on selected courses Identifying students with extreme financial problems and providing some basic support Organizing and supporting female student clubs Arrange trainings on life skills, gender awareness, assertiveness, and other academic and non-academic skills Facilitating and providing advisory and counseling services when students face problems in their academic and social lives In addition to coordinating these student success-targeted activities, the Office also celebrates International Women’s Day (March 8), seeks to enhance gender awareness among the university community, creates links with organizations working on gender issues, works to minimize sexual harassment in the university, and encourages conducting research on gender issues. The Office is expanding its services to female lecturers of BDU. Although the number of female lecturers at BDU is increasing, their representation in management positions and their role in research are very low. Thus, the Gender Office is focusing on female lecturer empowerment in teaching, research and leadership by organizing continuous trainings, seminars, workshops and by creating a forum that can help them share and discuss different aspects of their academic life. The Gender Office is also working with female lecturers in order to maximize the effect of its student-focused services. By actively involving female lecturers in the activities of the Gender Office, it also aims to use female lecturers as role models for female students. Staff The Gender Office is run by a director, four gender officers working at different campuses (Institute of Textile, Garment and Fashion Design, College of Business and Economics, Engineering campus, and main campus) and two support staffs.
Contact us
Birhane Mengiste Director, Gender Office
Tel: +251 582220398 P.O.Box 79
e-mail: mengbir@gmail.com
Bahir Dar University Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
