Gender-responsiveness: A Must for All Schools

One of the missions of the Department of Education is to provide learners with a gender- sensitive environment. When we speak of gender sensitivity, it simply means the changing of behavior ascribed by culture and society and imbibing the proper attitude and empathy into the perspectives, ideas and principles that we hold on to on our own and to other genders.

            The Department of Education issued through its DepEd Order No. 32, s. 2017 the Gender-Responsive Basic Education Policy (GRBE) in line with its Gender and Development (GAD) mandate as stipulated in the 1987 Philippine Constitution, Republic Act No. 9710 or the Magna Carta of Women, RA 10533 or the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013, and the Philippines’ International Human Rights and Commitments to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and the Convention on the Rights if the Child (CRC) among others.

            Through this policy, the department commits to integrate the principles of gender equality, gender equity, gender sensitivity, non-discrimination and human rights, in the provision and governance of basic education. This is in line with the department’s mandate to ensure access to quality basic education for all.

            Gender and Development (GAD) projects, programs and activities (PPAs) are allotted at least 5% of the total budget of an institution. These programs, projects and activities should be incorporated in the institution’s Gender and Development Plan and Budget (GPB). PPAs that can be considered in the GAD Plan and Budget (GPB) are from Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment, Planning and Field Operations, Public Affairs and Finance and Administration. Annual celebrations like National Women’s Month, LGBT Pride Month, 18-Day Campaign To End Violence Against Women (VAW) and etc. can also be included.

            In this 21st century, Gender and Development still plays a great role in the equality and equity when it comes to opportunities, rights, privileges and benefits of all genders. Many would say that nowadays there is already an equity and equality of existing genders. However, using a gender lens to magnify issues, still there are many gender issues that hinder the growth and development of certain genders.

            Taking the classroom as an example, teachers who are not gender- sensitive may still demand their learners that boys should get spades and girls should get trowels. In this situation, we can see that the teacher already defined or layed down the rule. This is because this is what the teacher has been conditioned to by culture and society- that spades are for boys and trowels are for girls. Should the teacher had given the equal opportunity for his/her learners to choose what tool to bring, do not be surprise that some girls will be getting spades and some boys will be getting trowels.

            Another example is a girl who entered the classroom late during recess. The teacher reprimanded the student because she was late. Not knowing that the girl took a long queue to use the comfort room. Comparing the ratio of girls to the comfort room, the school may have overlooked that gender issue that it takes a longer time for girls to use the comfort room than boys. The school may have provided only two bowls for women whereas boys were provided with urinals and troughs.

            In the curriculum, gender-fair languages are already recommended but we still see textbooks that are not GAD-compliant. Policemen should already be police officer, mankind should be humankind, chairman should be chairperson and fireman should be firefighter. In textbooks, both of the sexes should be included. When you do not know the gender, it is better to state as he/she.

            With the widespread inclusion of gender-responsive education, higher authorities to the school heads should see to it that Gender and Development should be a part of the various flagships of the department and especially to the school, the very basic unit of the department. The provision of facilities and environment that is responsive to every gender and a school staffs who are gender- sensitive to the needs of every learner will surely yield well-rounded learners.

            As Libing Wang, Chief of Section for Educational Innovation and Skills Development at UNESCO Bangkok, notes, when it comes to addressing gender disparities in education, the role of teachers is of paramount importance. “You can have gender-sensitive curriculum, textbooks and all of the most up to date resources at schools’ disposal, but if teachers do not understand and believe in gender sensitive education, you won’t have gender sensitive classrooms,” he says. “That is the heart of the issue – but addressing it is no simple matter. Many aspects need to be examined, from the broadest policy level to individual classrooms.”

 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

On School Partnership and Linkages

A partnership is an arrangement where parties, known as partners, agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests. The partners in a partnership may be individuals, businesses, interest-based organizations, schools, governments or combinations.             With the many programs of the schools, the meager Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) of every school is not enough to fund the many flagship programs of the department. This is where the schools can make initiative to reach out to external partners through partnership and linkages.             In order to cater the needs of the schools the Department of Education (DepED) promulgated the revised implementing rules and regulations (IRR) for Republic Act 8525, or the Adopt-a-School Act of 1998, on 18 January 2013. DepED Order 2 series of 2013 is the latest revision to Department Order No. 80 s. 1998 – the fi...
Read more

Embracing All Learners Through Inclusive Education

In a class, the learners have different socio-economic status, cultural backgrounds, different abilities, capacities and intelligences. Some are endowed with abilities and others are born with disabilities. This is where inclusive education comes in. It is considering the manners our schools, programs and lessons are designed so that all learners can participate and learn. Inclusive education may also mean looking into and finding different strategies of teaching so that every school actively involves all learners.             According to Alquraini & Gut, the school and classroom operate on the premise that students with disabilities are as fundamentally competent as students without disabilities. Therefore, all students can be full participants in their classrooms and in the local school community. Much of the movement is related to legislation that students receive their education in the least restrictive environment (LRE)....
Read more

Overcoming the Demands and Challenges as a Member of the LGBTQIA+ Community

                    Being a member of the LGBTQIA+ is not easy compared to being male and female. I for one, representing one of the letters in the LGBTQIA+ community have experienced discrimination and stereotyping many times and in many ways.             Having a different gender preference, orientation and identity, I was at times called sissy and weakling by my classmates in the elementary grade. Bullying was so rampant in those days that there were times I thought of not going to school anymore. This was worsened because in my primary grades, I was then living with the family of my uncle so I have no parents to confide what I had been going through. My parents are both farmers so they have to work from a far province to provide our basic needs. What I was so thankful is I was an achiever and performing well in school which somehow covered up the gender-related inflic...
Read more