2. In educating the child, parents and teachers
play allied roles. It is expected that both are willing
to communicate in order to better understand the
children under their guardianship. Gender issues
prevail in society in all areas of life and it is essential
that concept of gender and its sensitization be
clarified for further understanding. To minimize
these gender issues we need to start changing the
mindsets of the younger generation as they are
those who can bring about further change in the
society, with their innovative ideas, thoughts and
ideas.
3. TERMS USED RELATED TO GENDER
SENSITIVITY
GENDER was first used as a phrase, “ the
social relations to gender,” which later on
evolved to GENDER. The SOCIAL RELATIONS
TO GENDER seek to explain sharing, decision
making, division of labor, and return to labor
within the household and in society, among
others. It focuses on the attributes acquired in
the process of socialization: our self and
group definitions, our sense of appropriate
roles, values and behaviors, and above all,
expected and acceptable interactions in
relationships between women and men.
4. “Gender Sensitivity” means gender
awareness which is more analytical and
critical since it clarifies issues about
gender disparities and gender shapes
the roles of women and men society,
including their role in development, and
how it affects relations between them.
6. 1. Curriculum/Text- it is important that all text,
reading material and books be free of notion
of gender inequality as bias is embedded in
textbooks, lessons and teachers interactions
with students. Gender roles, expectations
reflected by written text and pictures should
be gender-sensitive to promote the concept
of gender equality.
7. 2. Educational System- Educational system
needs to be gender-sensitive and gender-
friendly for girls and boys. Moreover the
leadership also needs to be granted using a
gender lens.
3. Guidelines by Gender Experts- There’s a
need for the development of criteria of
meeting gender sensitive guidelines.
8. 4. Role of Governmental and Non-
Governmental Organizations- Governmental
and non-governmental organizations can
play a pivotal role in promoting gender
equality.
5. Use of Sensitive Vocabulary- Gender Neutral
language needs to be promoted at all levels
and throughout the institutions for students,
staff, and faculty management levels.
9. 6. Educational Policies- All policies, programs,
and interventions need to be gender-sensitive.
7. Teacher Training Programs- Gender
sensitivity training needs to be mandatory for
all teacher training programs, certificate and
academic courses. Male teachers most
especially must be exposed to gender
sensitivity trainings.
10. 8. Extra fringe benefits- Benefits must be offerd
in rural areas to promote girl education e.g.
scholarships, food packs etc.
9. School-Parents Partnership- both needs to
be strengthened to identify and address
gender issues in homes and in educational
institutions.
11. 10. Gender trainings/ Sensitization sessions-
Gender trainings must be provided for
parents, teachers, staff, administrators, and
local officials.
11. Monitoring- Gender sensitivity progress
must be constantly reviewed by gender
experts and steps should be taken to sustain
the same.
12. 12. Gender Sensitivity Counseling- Gender
sensitivity counseling must be made available
for students staff, teachers, and parents.
13. Allocation of Bydget- Educational
authorities and schools must be provided with
a suitable budget to promote and sustain the
gender sensitive agenda.
13. 14. Commitment from Senior
Leadership/Government- Gender fair practices
are effective when top leadership supports
gender equity and equality measures and also
effectively communicates the organizations
commitment to gender equality.
15. Gender Sensitive Organizational Culture-
Organizational change needs to be
institutionalized by promoting gender balanced
staff, gender sensitive governance structure;
equal valuing of women and men’s working style
etc.
14. 16. Gender Audit- Gender audit institutions
should be carried out by gender experts to
review curriculum, policies, programs,
interventions, etc.
17. Creation of a Gender Responsive School-
A gender responsive one where the
academic, social and physical environment
and its surrounding community.
15. 18. Institutionalization of Special Committees/
Groups in Academic Settings- in order to
promote gender-friendly and safe
environment for children it is important to
institutionalize special committees such as:
a. Committee for preparing and
implementing Code of Ethics at
workplace,
b. Gender interest committee
c. Sexual harassment committee
d. Child Abuse committee
16. 19. Gender Mainstreaming- In order to address
gender concerns holistically it is essential to
mainstream gender in all institutions of society.
20. Role of Media- Media constantly reinforces
the traditional stereotypes of women and men
and thus needs to address and promote
gender equality by using a gender less
sensitively.
18. It is formulating a set of procedures,
techniques, and strategies so that gender
issues can be recognized on a sustained
basis. For teachers, gender mainstreaming is
integration girls’ and boys’ concerns and
experiences into the design implementation,
monitoring and evaluation of school policies,
programs and project, economic, and social
agenda.
-( a handbook on Gender and Development
Training, Book 1, 2003)
19. Institutions should adopt gender mainstreaming so that
gender sensitivity will prevail. this can only be made
possible if the following are practiced:
1. Train teachers in gender equality
education to have it actualized more
effectively at school sites.
2. Gender Analysis should be conducted
through the curriculum materials, teachers
and learning processes, school structures
and culture.
20. 3. School-parent partnership on gender issues
should be strengthened by making the parents,
teachers, administrators and local officials
aware of their legal obligations and children’s
rights.
4. Gender Sensitivity training needs to be
mandatory for all teacher training programs,
certificate and academic courses. All teachers
should be gender sensitized and must be
exposed to gender sensitivity trainings.
21. 5 . The key officials of both the DepEd and the CHED
from the top children down to the lowest level of
school managers should undergo a series of gender
sensitivity training sessions on the form of special
training program on gender sensitivity, zonal on
gender and development training program, and
trainers’ training on gender sensitivity among others.
6. The Authors, publishers, Board on Textbooks and
other concerned agencies stereotyping and continue
to review existing textbooks and teacher manuals in
the elementary and secondary levels for sex biases
and stereotyping.
22. 7. Concerned school officials should
review policies for possible discrimination
clauses on student admission
requirements, recruitment and selection,
promotions, access to training and
scholarships and other human resource
development activities to ensure a
gender- fair school community.
24. 1. Teachers should understand gender roles
and expectations to help them analyze
their own differential behaviors towards
boys and girls.
2. Teachers should attend gender trainings so
that they can facilitate the change to be
brought about in the curriculum materials
such as syllabus, modules instructional
aides and others.
25. 3. Teachers should cooperate with
government and non- government
organizations to meet the challenges and
promoting gender equality.
4. Teachers should strive to work hand in hand
with social administrators so that gender
sensitive organizational culture will be
institutionalized by promoting gender
balanced staff gender sensitive governance
structure, equal valuing of women and men’s
working styles, etc.
26. 5. Teachers should be active and decisive in
promoting a gender responsive school where
the academic social and physical
environment and its surrounding community
take into account the specific needs of both
boys and girls
6. Teachers should conduct researches on
gender sensitivity issues to properly address
inequalities and discrimination between men
and women.
27. 7. Teachers should find appropriate time
during assemblies, conferences, meetings and
the like to raise gender issues and concerns.
8. Teachers should initiate information
dissemination campaign in gender-fair
education and include in school papers
articles which discuss about gender sensitivity
issues to raise the level of awareness or
consciousness and generate greater support
in addressing gender-specific issues.
28. LASTLY!
9. Above all, teachers should
treat every boy and girl
equally in all aspects and be
strong proponent of
democracy which caters to
equality.