Representing gender equity through dynamic indicators

Abstract

To turn data into action it is important that the data is processed and presented in terms of indicators and targets. It is important that relevant information is presented to the proper stakeholders. The School Report Card (SRC) of The Gambia is a data visualization tool used for social accountability and transparency. Its targeted audience is the community and shows the learners’ performance against the resources of the school. It is standardized across the country and shows where a school stands compared to the district, region and the country. This research explores the idea of adding a dynamic indicator in the regional level with the goal to increase accountability and transparency towards the community that will lead to informed decisions in policy making, planning curriculums, actions etc. The dynamic indicator proposed to be included is a gender equity indicator. Action research with participatory design techniques identified that a participatory School Report Card with a dynamic indicator will reflect more precisely on the causes of the learners’ performance. Contextual factors matter and vary within the country therefore they should be taken into account for effectively acting on the challenges that they are exposed to. The gender disparities exist and they should reflect on the SRC. A participatory approach in the School Report Cards can prove to be challenging therefore a solution on how to mitigate those challenges is proposed.