The Ministry of Education and Vocational Training has convened the ‘Equality Classrooms Awards: Irene Awards 2023’, aimed at non-university schools with projects aimed at promoting co-education and combating gender violence.
Registrations can be made until September 29 through the Ministry’s electronic headquarters. In total, nine prizes will be awarded.
These awards are open to centres supported by public funds with educational projects, curricular materials or educational innovations that help prevent and eradicate violent behaviour and promote equality and the culture of peace, aiming at the development of strategies of equal coexistence between men and women. The projects and initiatives must have been carried out during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 courses.
The prizes are divided into three modalities: Infant and Primary; Compulsory Secondary Education and Baccalaureate; and Vocational Training or special regime teaching. In each category, three awards will be awarded: the first prizes are awarded with 5,000 euros each; the second prizes are awarded with 3,000 euros and the third prizes are awarded with 2,000 euros. The recognized initiatives will be compiled in a Ministry publication and disseminated as examples of good practice.
The aim of the Irene Awards, created in 2006, is to promote the prevention of violence against women in the education system. In 2022, these awards were incorporated into the Classroom Awards for Equality initiative, along with the Awards ‘STEAM Alliance for Female Talent, Girls in Science’, aimed at promoting technological and scientific vocations in girls and young people.
The promotion of equality, the fight against gender bias and the prevention of violence against women are among the Ministry ' s priority objectives.
In this regard, it should be noted that the Education Law promotes gender equality in all educational stages through co-education. In addition, it introduces the subject of Civic and Ethical Values in Primary and Secondary, which pays special attention to equality between women and men.