UNDER the Implementing Rules and Regulations of RA No. 10533 of the Enhanced Basic Education Act, the Department of Education (DepEd) is mandated to ensure that the basic education curriculum is gender- and culture-sensitive (Rule II, Section 10.2).
Given the shift in the gender patterns in basic education indicators in the Philippines, DepEd adhering to such a standard is indeed welcome. According to a report of NEDA and UNDP, from 1996 to 2012, boys outnumbered girls at the elementary level while at the secondary level, the opposite was true, with girls outnumbering boys. In the same period, girls outperformed boys in all key indicators, particularly in cohort survival rate and completion rate.
Through DepEd Order No. 32, s. 2017, schools are able to promote inclusive education toward empowerment and social change. The said policy provides the guideline for Gender-Responsive Basic Education that shall allow the DepEd to integrate the principles of gender equality, gender equity, gender sensitivity, non-discrimination, and human rights in the provision and governance of basic education.
To be specific, DepEd aims to ensure girls’ and boys’ and women’s and men’s equal access to learning opportunities, fair treatment in the learning process, and equitable outcomes as well as access to opportunities in all spheres of life. It also seeks to address gender-based barriers and the different forms of discrimination as a result of being exposed to gender inequality suffered by vulnerable and marginalized groups, and this includes taking steps to reduce gender gaps and disparities in basic education.
Through a gender-responsive school setting, all learners, teachers, and non-teaching personnel and other stakeholders are involved in promoting gender equality and non-discrimination through their engagement in the curriculum, learning materials, teaching methodologies, and support services that should not only aim at eliminating gender stereotypes, but also at transforming gender relations toward empowerment and social change. Structures, systems, and methodologies are also strengthened to promote coordination to address gender dimensions in planning, information exchange, design, and delivery of services.
In the development of DepEd’s basic education strategic framework, the key principles of gender equality programming in education from gender Equality In and Through Education shall be adopted. These principles, in abridged form, state that “gender dynamics impact on education,” “gender is not just about girls,” “gender-responsive education is protective,” “disaggregated data re nonnegotiable,” “involve male and female learners in working toward gender equality,” “gender is a cross-sectoral issue,” and “anyone can champion gender equality in education.”
At the same time, DepEd shall also mainstream gender in all Policies and Programs, Projects, and Activities (PPAs) including learners development, curriculum standards, learning delivery and environment, learning resources, assessment, school health, youth formation, school sports, ICT, and educational facilities. It shall also ensure gender parity in staffing and create an enabling work environment and strengthen gender and development institutional mechanisms.