US embassy, WISCOMP honour individuals for making educational spaces safe, inclusive

The United States Embassy in India in partnership with Women in Security, Conflict Management and Peace (WISCOMP) on Monday held a digital award ceremony to honour folks throughout India for their efforts in serving to make educational spaces protected and inclusive for all college students.

The WISCOMP, a South Asian assume tank, and Public Affairs Section of US Embassy organised the Sahaas Award ceremony to honour the individuals who’ve proven “exemplary courage to address gender discrimination to enrich the canvas of gender sensitivity”.

Speaking on the awards ceremony, the US embassy’s Public Affairs minister-counsellor, David Kennedy, applauded the collaboration between US and Indian higher-education directors in sharing finest practices to enhance gender equality in college campuses throughout India.

In her opening remarks, WISCOMP Director Meenakshi Gopinath mentioned: “This coming collectively of leaders is especially vital because the schooling system is repositioning itself to regulate its functioning to ‘the new normal.

“Ensuring that the educational rights of women and sexual minorities are not compromised in the new technology-enabled lecture halls will mean that attention is paid to both what is taught and how it is taught,” she added.

The Saahas award recipients – working in regions throughout India – offer innovative approaches to make educational spaces safe and inclusive. A host of higher-education experts, human-rights advocates, and business leaders attended the ceremony.

Among the award recipients were Dr Sheeba KM, professor, Sree Sankaracharaya University of Sanskrit Kalady, Kerala; Professor Atima Sharma Dwivedi, principal Kanya Maha Vidyalaya Jalandar; Professor Rakhee Kalita Moral, Associate Professor Cotton University Guwahati Assam.

The WISCOMP is a peace-building initiative in South Asia. Established in 1999, it foregrounds women’s management within the areas of peace and safety and promotes cultures of pluralism and coexistence within the area

Over the previous two years, the US Mission to India has partnered with WISCOMP to share finest practices from the United States and India on how to make sure that higher-education campuses are protected and welcoming for ladies.