Teach for Gender Equality Project: An Input to Gender Responsive Curriculum in the Philippine Basic Education System

Teach for Gender Equality Project: An Input to Gender Responsive Curriculum in the Philippine Basic Education System

Amelyn Lanada Laro

Southern Philippines Agribusiness Marine and Aquatic School of Technology/International Sustainable Academy

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2024.803017S

Received: 21 March 2024; Revised: 05 April 2024; Accepted: 09 April 2024; Published: 07 May 2024

INTRODUCTION

In the Philippines, teen pregnancy has evolved from a local concern to a national issue, necessitating a comprehensive investigation into its underlying causes and broader implications. This phenomenon underscores a pervasive problem linked to gender inequality, significantly impacting the lives of women and girls. The urgency to address this matter propels the researcher to delve into the development of a curriculum responsive to gender and women’s issues. The primary research focus is on understanding the intricate dimensions of teen pregnancy in the Philippines and recognizing it as a prevalent gender issue. To address this, the study begins with a literature review, examining the national context of teen pregnancy in the Philippines, tracing its origins, and delineating its consequences as a gender issue. The subsequent steps involve exploring global research on gender-sensitive curriculum to extract essential insights and best practices applicable to the Philippine setting. Finally, the study aims to formulate a suggested framework for a gender-responsive curriculum based on the various literatures specifically tailored to address the challenges of gender inequality within the Philippine educational system by integrating knowledge from international literature. Thus, this study finally proposed the adaptation of TEACH Framework which can serve as guide to educators on how they can integrate gender sensitive concepts into their classroom.

METHODOLOGY

This study employed a comprehensive literature review strategy with a qualitative approach. According to Paul and Criado (2020), this technique involved a meticulous process of reading, investigating, analyzing, assessing, and summarizing scholarly materials. Two critical subjects were incorporated into the selection criteria for the literature review which the focus on gender-sensitive curricula from the literatures across the world. The scrutinized papers and literature were sourced from research publications by credible international organizations, policy reports, and peer-reviewed journals, providing a robust foundation. The literature on early pregnancy covered the period from 2008 to 2013. Notably, in the case of gender-sensitive curricular studies, publication dates were not strictly adhered to; instead, the relevance of the material to the research at hand took precedence. Out from the various concepts extracted from the studies a new conceptual framework called TEACH Framework was developed by the researcher to integrate gender responsive curriculum in the Philippine basic education system. This model is unique and original since there is no current framework which is used by educators in the Philippines on how they can integrate gender concepts into classroom teaching, creating lesson plans and hopefully helping them becoming a gender sensitive educator.

Aligned with the researcher’s participation in the Fellowship Program, the literature review was conducted at the International Sustainability Academy Walderhaus in Germany during the last weeks of November 2022 and the second week of February 2023. It is essential to recognize that, due to the scarcity of studies on gender-sensitive curricula, the research’s significance surpassed publication dates. The gathered data underwent meticulous examination and synthesis as part of the analytical process. Seeking advice from various gender specialists including gender experts from the International Sustainability Academy and presenting this work in the 3^rd International Conference in Berlin Germany in 2023 to enhanced the validity and precision of the findings. These experts played a crucial role in ensuring the methodological rigor of the study and contributed to the editing process, reinforcing the study’s conclusions with their additional layer of expertise.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

Teenage Pregnancy as National Emergency and Gender Issue in the Philippine Education Sector

According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), in the Philippines, 16 million teenage girls between the ages of 15 and 19 and 2 million girls under the age of 15 become pregnant or give birth every year. Teen pregnancy causes higher risk of maternal mortality and delivery, along with severe newborn problems, labor obstruction, systemic infections, stillbirth, early birth, and teenage pregnancy tends to put young people at a disadvantage, including fewer job opportunities, lower school attainment, and negative health effects. As a result, they are more likely than individuals to drop out of school (Cuisia-Cruz, Tabei, Smith, and Seposo, 2021). Based on the study of the National Statistics Office (NSO) in Manila, the problem of teenage pregnancy deaths is intensifying. According to records, the number increased from 5% in 2000 to 10% in 2010 (NSO, 2017). Since these girls are still developing when they give birth, their development is hampered. According to Pogoy et al. (2014), teenage moms frequently have developmental risk factors such as cervical problems and stunted growth. Other studies have found that teen motherhood leads to social isolation, stigma, and prejudice in society (Cherry & Dillon, 2014; SmitBattle, 2013). As a result, less than 2% of these girls graduate from college by the age of 30, influencing their school achievement (Natividad, 2014).

Deptula, Henry, and Schoeny (2010) discovered that high parental guidance was associated with low rates of teenage initiation of unprotected sex, pregnancy, and intercourse. On the other hand, a strict upbringing can influence the desire to rebel, leave the house, and engage in sexual activities. A separate study confirmed that a combination of poor parental oversight also contributed to this problem. In addition to the other factors mentioned, one of the primary causes of teenage pregnancies is a lack of access to sexual education and health services. This contradicts the church’s teaching on alternative family planning methods. New technology is thought to be one of the primary causes of the rise in teenage pregnancies.

There are several explanations; for example, Salvador, Sauce, Alvarez, and Rosario’s (2016) study hypothesized that technology and a lack of adolescent sexual and reproductive health education increase teen pregnancy. According to Acharya, Bhattarai, Poobalan, and Chapman (2014), low levels of education, dysfunctional families, and underuse of medical resources may also be factors in teenage pregnancy. Filipinos live in a society that is shaped by ever-changing social trends. There are numerous media outlets available today. Everyone readily accepts what is commonplace and visible. The use of cell phones and easy access to multimedia influences adolescent activities, reactions to peer pressure, and behaviors. Television, radio, and even Internet-based information are important forms of communication and interaction among people.

Additionally, statistics confirm that teen pregnancy rates climb proportionately as one’s socioeconomic standing declines (Pogoy et al., 2014). Additionally, data demonstrates that teens in poverty have a teenage pregnancy rate that is five times greater than the national norm (Berliner, 2013). The same study maintains that teen pregnancies are particularly common in poor areas. The setting in which a teen life and develops frequently has a big impact on their conduct (Odhiambo, 2018). Teenage pregnancy is disproportionately common in low-income families for unknown reasons; as a result, young girls are often forced to engage in sex in exchange for money. Pogoy et al. (2014) confirmed the link between early sex and teenage pregnancy and familial and financial difficulties. Another researcher has concurred with the idea that adolescents’ low socioeconomic situation correlates to adolescent pregnancy (Taffa and Obare, 2017).

As a result, social analysts and researchers listed a few causes for why teen pregnancies have been rising despite efforts by government health organizations and NGOs. The causes range from socioeconomic status (Dulita et al., 2013), a lack of education (Eloundou-Enyegue, 2004), the beginning of sexual activity in teenagers (Grace, Ihuoma and Temitope, 2013), a family history of teenage births (Wall-Wieler, Ross and Nickel, 2016), Moreover, teenage pregnancies can occasionally come from adolescents who are lured by what they see in the media yet lack knowledge about sex. According to Pogoy et al. (2014), having sex knowledge is crucial. Comparing adolescents who got thorough sex education to those who did not, the likelihood of teen pregnancy was much lower for the former group (Lindberg and Maddow-Zimet, 2012). O’Donnell, Myint-U, Duran, and Stueve (2010) noted that where girls’ intervention programs were implemented, fewer reports of sexual risk behaviors were made.

Various kinds of literature revealed countless reasons why teenage pregnancy becomes a problematic issue in the Philippines it also showed how micro (individual) mezzo (school and family) and macro aspects like poverty and technology contributed to the increasing number of teenage pregnancies. This leads to the conclusion that teenage pregnancy is also a national gender issue as it leads us to question the reasons and contributions of these various factors in terms of communication, education, and information. How our young people at this age consume their time in preparing to be parents at an early pregnancy or if they are really preparing or just, are confronted by a crisis in their lives that their only resort is to get pregnant as a way out of the problematic family, temporarily escape poverty and find ways like using technology to engage more in active sexual behavior.

The evaluation of studies also showed that there is a lack of an educational platform that addresses directly the root causes of this gender concern. The study showed that young women’s gender and sexuality education at home and in schools is not fully operational. Discussions about topics about hygiene, menstruation, gender, and sexuality are not topics that had been explored by parents and teachers in schools. This ends up with a huge number of young people wondering and questioning their gender and sexuality. In South Korea, they established the Gender and Sexuality Center to provide an avenue for parents and children to communicate and discuss their sexuality at a young age. This kind of opportunity allowed parents and kids to proactively discuss physical and sexual development as the child grows up and parents can also inculcate their values as Koreans to their children. Teen pregnancy can be prevented with the help of programs or elements that increase girls’ self-esteem or confidence, as well as sexual and reproductive health education (Levtov, 2014).

Comparing my experience as a social worker in the health setting in the City Health Department in Kazakhstan I observed that they have sessions with their young women. Their school nurses and doctors reach out to schools to promote healthy lifestyles. Teenagers are encouraged to discuss with medical practitioners about their feelings and thoughts about human sexuality. Such opportunity is not present in the Philippines where the concept of sexuality remains be gray area because of cultural and religious influence. In the end, young people look for answers from their peers or on social media sites. As expressed by one research, sex education helps youngsters understand their bodies and promotes good hygiene habits while also reducing the number of teen pregnancies and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (Raphael, 2015). Reduced rates of sexual assault, sexual crime, and domestic violence are all advantages of sex education (Chouhan and Gupta, n.d.).

Presence of the Hidden Curriculum and Lack of Pedagogy in Basic Education.

The various literatures revealed that the study of gender is highly complex are there are different interpretations of what “gender” means, how we study it, and how it mediates our perception of the world and our behavior across a variety of theoretical, research, and practice domains (Elwood, 2016). The concept of gender is something that can be discussed, debated, argue, define, and negotiated by several stakeholders engage in the topic, in this case, the teachers, learners, school administrators, parents, and even community members. The roles that different sexes were supposed to play in society and the economy were reflected in education (Te Groen, 1989). The presence of debates over gender and how it is defined are obvious. Years of academic research have demonstrated how experts in these fields have learned to know and understand gender and how it interacts with the structures and functions of education (what is taught, what is learned, and how this is assessed) from within very divergent and opposing theoretical positions (Elwood, 2016). There are also several ways that we look at how education people about gender and this includes concepts like deep curriculum which refers to roots of gender and (under)achievement and is further affected by emerging sociocultural attitudes on gender, subject knowledge, and choice. How instructors mediate these gender values through their own pedagogical subject knowledge and practice, often subconsciously, and how gender values are valued in topic communities in schools (Murphy, 2008 as cited by Elwood, 2016).

The study of Sarkar (2017) illustrated how the globalized world has several variables that are entirely to blame for gender inequality. These elements include the following: Social Elements specifically patriarchal society, education, cultural aspects, and religious influence. Since gender interacts with other diversity factors like ethnicity, social class, disability, sexual orientation, and religion, social and cultural theoretical positions on gender allow for the emergence of more complex and nuanced interactions. Additionally, many researchers are now thinking about “masculinities” and “femininities” in the plural to reflect the various ways that masculinity and femininity are constructed and performed by various individuals considering the recognition of multiple diversities and their impact on how young people construct their identities of self and others (Elwood, 2016).

According to curriculum theorists like Goodson (1997), the curriculum contains factors that are both stabilizing and destabilizing. It can both empower and disempower both men and women. This has been proven by Western curriculum theorists regarding racial, social, sexual, and gender inequality. Both explicit curriculum knowledge and what has come to be known as the hidden curriculum of schooling (teachers’ ideals, school rituals, etc.) can repeat these inequities (albeit in altered forms). Marshall, H., & Arnot, M. (2008). The relationship between curriculum and gender ideas is intricate and multifaceted. Such a connection recognizes how curriculum, assessment, pedagogy, and gender are all intertwined. It also calls on us to look beyond gender as “sex-group differences” and gain a deeper grasp of this idea as a cultural artifact (Elwood, 2016). The idea that women should maintain their “private world,” which Sunnari (1997) refers to as institutionalized parenting, is perpetuated by this circumstance. This undermines all initiatives to critically examine gender biases, including those in teacher education institutes. The optimal response to this problem could be (Lumadi and Shongwe, 2010).

Gender discrimination has its roots in conventional wisdom and socially constructed gender norms. While girls are perceived as weak, boys are seen as autonomous and strong (Stromquist, 2008). biased toward women in classroom procedures are ingrained through teacher-student interactions, which favor men and push women to the margins of invisibility (Sebastian, 2016). The constant communication between teachers and students creates a good learning environment (Miske, 2013; Kalra and Sharma, 2020). Moreover, gender discrimination in the academic curriculum is a result of gender prejudice that permeates both urban and rural cultures as a whole. It permeates every aspect of life, including the family, work and professional environments, educational institutions, etc. A significant factor in promoting gender inequality is the curriculum. The unwritten beliefs and lessons from textbooks and pedagogy known as the “hidden curriculum,” which has both immediate and long-term effects, quietly promote patriarchy and heteronormativity. The hidden curriculum is an essential component of the socialization process and reinforces stereotypes regarding acceptable behavior, physical attractiveness, employment options, etc. resulting in an environment of exclusion in classrooms and schools (Chouhan and Gupta, n.d.).

Segregation in academic disciplines is another serious problem. Boys and girls continue to select distinct academic specialties around the world; men are disproportionately represented in the sciences, agriculture, and engineering, whereas women are more likely to pursue careers in the humanities and education and health. According to Charles and Bradley (2009) and the World Bank (2012), these gender disparities have a big impact on future employment and wages. In some cases, the required curriculum differs by sex (for instance, home economics for girls and agricultural technology for boys); more frequently, a complex combination of factors including a dearth of gender-sensitive and pertinent content and teaching methodologies, teacher expectations, economic concerns, and social norms affect student choices (Mutekwe and Modiba, 2012; Levtov, 2014). This resulted in Gender-blind teaching methods encouraging gender disparities in the classroom, giving rise to the idea of a “hidden curriculum” where male pupils are allowed to predominate in conversations and the physical layout of the classroom. These disparities increase as students enter higher education (Gasuku, 2016). Both boys and girls graduated from high school with a certain job path in mind. Numerous ways of gender stereotyping exist. Apartheid textbooks reinforced gender stereotypes by featuring more male than female role models in most textbook examples, in addition to providing boys and girls with different academic options. These methods of selection and the way the educational materials were presented that went along with them favored guys. Boys and girls were given a sense of their life chances or what was expected of them through both the hidden and the official curricula.

Examples of blind teaching can be found in numerous discriminatory behaviors against female students and employees which were cited in a 2006 report on gender and higher education in Uganda, Tanzania, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, and South Africa. These included insensitive teaching methods that disregard gender, unchecked sexual harassment, violence, and discrimination, prejudices against the academic and intellectual prowess of women, ineffective application of gender policies, and the general male predominance in leadership roles and decision-making (Gasuku, 2016). Patriarchy is identified as a significant contributor to and sustainer of women’s undereducation, particularly in research that addresses the issue of gender inequality in the Global South. However, patriarchy is also a recurring theme in studies from the Global North, where women face disadvantages because of societal expectations and roles, particularly about childcare and household duties. As a result, there are significant disparities in their access to opportunities for higher and further education as well as career advancement (e.g., Cragg, Andrusyszyn, and Fraser 2005). Koseoglu et al. (2020) explained that a concrete example that if the majority of the nation is characterized by strong patriarchal traditions, which place males in positions of control over women in the household and provide for their succession from father to son. In terms of decision-making, women are less empowered than men in terms of access to public knowledge and information, legal recognition, and protection, both inside and outside the house. This is another factor contributing to gender disparity (Sarkar, 2017).

One of the studies conveyed text, examples, exercises, and illustrations that occasionally discuss a certain gender all containing gender bias (Dawar and Anand, 2017; Sharma and Kalra, 2020). The knowledge and identification of female students with the course material are limited by the lack of gender focus in teaching methods, which inhibits their participation and interaction in class. Additionally, obsolete course material frequently reinforces unfavorable gender stereotypes (Gasuku, 2016). Education systems reflect societal inequality because they are ingrained in a larger social environment. The organization and content of education—textbooks, electives, and sex (Levtov, 2014).

For instance, a study conducted in India demonstrates how insensitive and severely biased textbooks and coursework are. According to research, Indian NCERT textbooks heavily favor male protagonists in their text, examples, and visuals and feature stories that are overwhelmingly about men. Literature by female professors and writers is scarce. The content is overwhelmingly gender binary and makes no mention of the LGBTQIA+ community or gender non-conforming individuals. Consciously or unconsciously, teachers’ behavior also varies depending on the sex of the learner (Eurydice, 2010; Sadker, Sadker, and Zittleman, 2009). Teachers have been observed giving male students greater attention and interacting with them more frequently (both favorably and adversely, through discipline). For instance, despite teachers’ claims that girls and boys should have the same right to attend school, classroom observations from a study in India revealed that they frequently called on boys, asked them more difficult questions, and complimented them more often than they did girls (DeJaeghere and Pellowski Wiger as cited in Miske, 2013). According to research, teachers often allocate duties and responsibilities in the classroom based on gender preconceptions. For instance, girls may be assigned to do the sweeping or cleaning, while boys may be assigned to monitor the class, rearrange the desks, or engage with other adults (Levtov, 2014). Gender in the curriculum (2007) research indicates that teachers interpret and adapt the curriculum based on their own beliefs and may not be aware of the discriminatory messages they transmit through the textbooks and teaching techniques. It is necessary to provide supplemental guidance materials and gender training for teachers (Levtov, 2014).

Violence against women that are motivated by their gender includes rape, sexual assault, insults to modesty, kidnapping, abduction, abuse from a partner or relative, the importation or trafficking of females, being persecuted for dowry, immorality, and any other offenses (Sarkar, 2017). An illustration of gender bias in the classroom is where boys are given more attention by the teachers to encourage them to speak up more in class and engage in more social conversation, while girls are taught to be quieter and more submissive than guys (Ara and Malik, 2012). Gender bias might be present at times (Kalra and Sharma, 2020). Gender hierarchy conveys the idea that men predominate in positions of leadership. Liberal feminism, a subset of inequality theories, describes gender disparity as being caused by a system that denies women access to the “public realm” by making them responsible for tasks associated with the “private sphere,” such as caring for children, maintaining the home, and supporting males. They see sexism as a major factor contributing to gender disparity. It is made up of discriminatory behaviors and biases toward women that are to blame for societal constraints and for limiting them from childhood onward, causing them to develop into helpless, stupid, and dependent adults (Mannathoko, 1995).

In industrialized countries, critical pedagogues work to engage and empower those who have been negatively impacted by societal biases and negative representations in school texts, teaching aids, and instructional practices. Many critical pedagogies try to show students that a curriculum is a place where meaning is made and that the social construction of knowledge creates opportunities for their expertise to be included (Marshall and Arnot, 2008). African boys were educated to become “hewers of wood and drawers of water,” while African girls were trained for low-paying domestic work and taught sewing, housekeeping, and typing. Boys were being directed toward technical fields in high schools (Lumadi and Shongwe, 2010). Gender bias was pervasive in environments where the experience of the white guy was valued. The curriculum was being utilized to persuade students to embrace roles in the future. Stereotyping has an impact on academic performance, subject preferences, and career trajectories in addition to the mental health of pupils (Bazler and Simonis, 2006; Potter and Rosser, 1992; Powell and Garcia, 1985; Shepardson and Pizzini, 1992). The impacts of biased images and their relationship to academic achievement were investigated in a study. A study that examined the content analysis of the graphics in the English and Malayalam primary school textbooks showed how the pictures were skewed and prejudiced study discovered biases in images depicting jobs, gendered skills, clothing rules, gendered locations, gendered duties, and family obligations (Chouhan and Gupta, n.d.).

Examining the Global Gender Framework and its Applicability to Philippine Gender Responsive Basic Education Policy

The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 aims to bring about an academic revolution in the world of education and to build a system of education. Educators play an important role in explaining the complexities of gender inclusivity. Gender equality is a foundational tenet of a strong and sustainable society (UNDP, 2015) but it is a difficult dream to realize in a patriarchal system. Chouhan, N., & Gupta, A. (n.d.). This is because gender equality or sensitivity in education would imply that girls and boys are guaranteed and given equal opportunities (Kohri, 2019). The inclusion of a gender agenda within the development framework has been highly significant for the development of national curricula.  One of the significant milestones is UN efforts of naming of the International Year of Women (1975) and the Beijing Conference were especially important because of the explicit inclusion and recognition of the particularity of women’s lives and their needs. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the ‘Education for All’ (EFA) campaign, initiated by UNESCO in 1990 and reframed in 2000, represented the most recent examples of international efforts to increase and improve girls’ education (Marshall and Arnot, 2008).

As declared by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) Gender Equality Framework and gender equality in education has four dimensions: equality of access, equality in the learning process, equality of educational outcomes, and equality of external results. Gender equality in education entails bringing gender equality to, within, and through education (Lualhati, 2019). To eliminate gender inequality, it is critical to creating a gender-sensitive environment for all genders. This further implies that gender-sensitive education is fully recognized by UNESCO (2000) as one of the factors that enable the vision of Education for All to become a reality.

The result of the study on the reflections on a gender-sensitive pedagogy workshop in religious schools in Malang, Indonesia. (n.d.). discusses how Gender-sensitive curricula must be combined with appropriate pedagogical practice to be effective. Gender-sensitive pedagogical practice necessitates teacher reflection. The gender-sensitive pedagogical approach of the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) is one example of how this can be accomplished. FAWE draws on cultural norms, institutional dynamics, and role models to inform the development and implementation of lesson plans that aim to gradually remove the barriers that women and girls face in classroom settings, which may impede their ability to participate equally and achieve their full academic potential. Some gender-sensitive pedagogical methods in the Gender Responsive Pedagogy model require educators to be mindful of how they interact with students and deliver instruction.

Gender-responsive classroom layouts are critical in the teaching-learning process. However, due to the sheer number of students and the limited classroom size, many schools struggle with classroom management (FAWE, 2005). Including the equality of learning outcomes. Gender in the classroom refers to teaching and learning processes that address the unique learning needs of girls and boys. Gender-responsive pedagogy requires teachers to take a gender-inclusive approach to lesson planning, teaching, classroom management, and performance evaluation to meet the specific learning needs of all students, regardless of gender (Lualhati, 2019). Girls’ poor performance in math and science limits their participation and opportunities at higher levels (ADB, 2014). Despite initiatives for equal opportunity policies in many schools aimed at empowering girls and many teachers eager to address gender inequality to maximize students’ potential, equal opportunities for girls are still scarce in many schools today (Warrington and Younger, 2020; Chuki and Dorji, 2020).

Gender sensitization should be instilled in individuals and become an integral part of everyone’s life. It is an approach that aims to promote gender equality for all. At the same it is the process of changing an individual’s behavior by raising awareness about the importance of gender equality. Moreover, gender sensitization is a potent tool for raising awareness about gender equality. The process of gender sensitization assists men in rationalizing their behavior. towards women by letting go of their egos and realizing their adoration for women (Deshmukh, 2016). It does not imply pitting men against women; rather, it is necessary to recognize the value of all genders. This is the most effective and non-confrontational method of transforming society (Baviskar, 2016). This sector has the potential to play a critical role in promoting gender sensitivity. Gender awareness requires not only an understanding of gender issues but also efforts to sensitize and change the mindset to change the view (Devi, 2017). If an individual has a gender-sensitive lens they do not discriminate between men, women, and transgender people. Moreover, gender sensitization is the process of changing people’s attitudes toward different genders (Kalra, and Sharma, 2020).

The teacher’s role in creating gender sensitization in a gendered classroom is critical and dominant. When emphasizing the importance of the teacher’s role in any classroom, it is important to remember that a teacher is also a student (Kohri, 2019). Gender insensitivity has an impact on the education sector (Aurange, 2016). Since teachers are the ones who provide education. A healthy and gender-friendly environment is required which can only be facilitated by gender-sensitive educators by having clear knowledge about gender sensitivity reinforced in schools to aid in the development of a gender-positive ideology that will create a new reflection of the prevailing image in society (Kalra & Sharma, 2019).

Training programs can act as a driving force in spreading awareness and expanding knowledge to tailor an individual’s behavior. Training programs should never be provided as a blanket; rather, they should always be tailored to the needs and requirements of the individuals. A three-tier approach to need analysis can be used at the operational, organizational, and individual levels. If training programs are not designed appropriately, the cost, time, and energy spent on training will be wasted. Before tailoring any gender sensitization training, the trainee should have a clear picture of the gaps affecting gender sensitivity at the school level. Training and performance. Important investments in gender-focused teacher professional development, including pre-and in-service training, as well as monitoring mechanisms, are needed to address teachers’ gendered attitudes and behaviors. Teachers would be encouraged by such training to comprehend power dynamics and gender-based (and other) hierarchies, as well as what they can do as educators to either uphold or fight these hierarchies (Levtov, 2014) understandings how we learn how gender mediates the lived educational experiences of teachers and students and how this affects their actions and achievements throughout various educational phases (Elwood, 2016).

The Philippine national government allocates funds to develop policies and programs aimed at gender equality, women empowerment, and anti-discrimination. Campaigns and equal opportunities for men and women are all linked to the concept of human rights. Furthermore, the country’s education sectors saw the need for credentialed education and educational innovations to correct and re-orient the minds of the youth toward equal rights and human empowerment. Lualhati, G. P. the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) issues Memorandum Order No. 01, also known as Establishing Policies and Guidelines on Gender and Development in CHED and Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs). This stated the guidelines aimed at introducing and institutionalizing gender equality as well as gender responsiveness and sensitivity in all aspects of Philippine higher education. Furthermore, other organizations such as the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW), the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) have stated that gender work is required. All offices must try to provide equal opportunities for everyone while also broadening their horizons (Lualhati, 2019). In consonance, the Department of Education (DepEd) has stayed true to its mission of ensuring that all students learn in a child-friendly environment. This is the basis for the issuance of The DepEd Order 36 series of 2017, also known as the Gender-Responsive Basic Education Policy, which played a role in addressing the issue of gender equality. The enclosed Gender-Responsive Basic Education Policy is issued by DepEd per its Gender and Development (GAD) mandate as stipulated in the 1987 Philippine Constitution, Republic Act (RA) No. 9710 or the Magna Carta of Women (MCW), and Republic Act (RA) 10533 or the Enhanced Basic Education Policy and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) (Rosa, dela Rosa, and Castro, n.d.).

However, based on the study conducted on the assessment of the Philippines GRBE (Gender-Responsive Basic Education) Policy aims to address gender-based barriers and various forms of discrimination because of being exposed to gender inequality suffered by vulnerable and marginalized groups. However, after conducting a policy survey, it became clear that not all educators were observing the elimination of gender stereotypes and the integration of learning curricula such as learning materials and teaching methodologies due to a lack of support, monitoring, projects, and services from agencies to teachers, particularly the Department of Education. The study further concluded the following results which identified a lack of school health, youth development, and sports development programs, projects, and services aligned with GRBE, a lack of cooperation and partnership with agencies, organizations, and individuals for education and other GAD support services, lack of monitoring, evaluation, and research to aid in learner support policy development and service delivery, and lack of career guidance and counseling programs and activities that give learners career options. The researcher recommended that the identified problems and concerns must be fully implemented to support the Department of Education’s efforts to promote and achieve a gender-responsive basic education (Galamgam, 2021).

IMPLICATIONS AND A GENDER RESPONSIVE CURRICULUM PROPOSAL

This paper began with an overview of early pregnancy as a gender issue in the education sector to demonstrate the significance of analyzing the gender gap in our educational system and the policies that we implemented. Although the Philippines adheres to several international gender frameworks to protect women and girls, it remains a challenge to address issues such as the rise in teenage pregnancy. In 2022, the researcher submitted a proposal to the International Sustainable Academy for the project “Teach for Gender Equality,” which aims to train teachers in gender responsive curriculum and safe spaces for women and girls in schools, as well as to address such needs in my country’s education sector. While with International Sustainable Development, it was realized that teaching alone does not have the same impact thus, the researcher opted to develop a framework for gender responsive curriculum based on a thorough review of various literatures that discuss the importance of Gender Responsive Curriculum.

This give birth to the TEACH Framework which is depicted in the diagram below as the result of the researcher’s review of various literatures on what should be relevant to the Philippine education system and will fully implement the Gender Responsive Basic Education Policy. Let me briefly discuss the TEACH Framework, which is an acronym for several things. T-teacher, E-engendering Education, A-analysis of Gender Gaps/Issues, C-curriculum/Content (Current/Changes), and H-human Rights framework will be incorporated into teaching methodologies.

 The proposed model aims to emphasize the importance of the role of Teachers as gender human being condition by our society on how we view gender, and it is vital that we understand how each SOGIE (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Expression) affected how the teacher connect his or her teaching experiences in the classroom or teaching pedagogy. The emphasis is understanding the journey of the teacher as a gendered individual highly conditioned by society’s socio, political, economic, and cultural context which created the mental maps and biases, and stereotypes on how they acquire different lens on another gender. We also considered the development stages of the person and how gender intersect in each phase of human development.

Under this topic are the following topics which need to be incorporated into teaching gender in the classroom first is the session on the self-awareness of teachers as a unique individual which will cover important challenges and milestones in their personal and professional life. These important life experiences should be connected to the global, national, and cultural gender issues. At the end of the subject the teacher must develop a personal vision as a Gender Sensitive Educator.  Other topics include basic knowledge of gender and sex, gender roles and gender biases.

In my gender studies, I discovered that women in various stages of development have a comparable gender issue and biases because of cultural expectations of the multiple roles that they played in both productive and reproductive roles. I believe that other gender roles have similar expectations and biases, however this needs to be explored further in various consultations and supported by different literatures. According to this model, if an educator comes from an abusive family, a difficult childhood, or a great crisis, he or she will unconsciously bring this experience into his or her classroom, including the common struggle for one’s identity. As an outcome, there is a need to provide gender-sensitive sessions for teachers for them to have a deeper self-awareness and processing embracing their identity or coming to terms with their own self-concept and acceptance. Only through acknowledging the teacher as a gendered human being they will be able to respect the existence of other genders. The effectiveness of any gender education usually starts with the educator’s willingness to comprehend and unlearn society’s prior conditioning even though expected by cultural norms and values.

The specific topics that can be covered under this theme are the social and gender factors which affected the school environment, creating gender sensitive design and gender framework and finally acquiring skills on gender sensitive teaching methodologies and lesson planning.

The second part is Engendering Education. I use the term Engender, which is defined by the Oxford dictionary as a cause or give rise to (a feeling, situation, or condition). Other meanings from the Cambridge dictionary explain that the term engenders mean to make people have a specific emotion or to create a circumstance that will cause things to happen. Gender as a verb (‘gendering,’ ‘engendered,’ etc.) demonstrates a shift through understanding of gender as an active, ongoing process – something is gendered when it actively participates in social processes that produce and reproduce distinctions in gender identities (EIGE, 2023).

In this framework, engendering means creating something with one’s gender lens and knowledge gained from gender training. There is a need for conceptual clarity of the concept of gender in the way we view education. During our ASIAN gender training, we learned that we, as ASIANs, need to define the concept of gender equality based on cultural and global understanding. Moreover, I was confident that as Filipinos, we needed to look into our own cultural views on gender, how they evolved during the colonial process, and what impact they have today. This further implies that the way we are teaching about gender roles now may be influenced by previous generations, and that this will evolve in the future as socioeconomic conditions influence our gender roles, and thus this is constantly evolving. As we use our gender lens, paradigms, and perspectives, we realize that there are many concepts in gender that we need to instill in the educational system, such as gender mainstreaming, gender design, gender sensitivity, gender equality, and unmasking gender stereotypes. If our teaching pedagogy is gender sensitive in its design and approach, we must reconsider. Nothing will happen unless we engender something because learning about gender requires action on our part.

We must consider how several gender lenses that we use to investigate gender relations, including the intersectionality of factors that affect our mental models as educators, in our perspectives. More than just understanding the concept, we need to create concrete actions on how we integrate gender fair concepts, such as using empowering language or being conscious about the use of power, or how we view violence against women and girls and what paradigms we apply in our classroom teaching strategies or school projects or activities. There are gender concepts in our interactions with students and colleagues that will make our learning methodology highly sensitive to current gender needs or provide solutions to existing gender gaps. Gender sensitive teaching methodologies and design are also covered in engendering.

Analysis of Gender Issues/Gaps in the Community, School, or Home is the third concept. Teachers, students, and stakeholders must be included in this analysis of current gender issues for them to be sensitized. They must be aware of current gender-related issues in their community, or they must bring their own gender issues to the attention of the school or community. This is only possible if they can use various gender analysis tools to guide them in being highly sensitive to what issues and gaps, they can consider to be gender issues. Identifying gender issues and having the ability to do so are empowering strategies that will also make the world a better place. Identifying and being able to identify gender issues are empowering strategies that will also make the curriculum highly relevant to the needs of society. The Gender Tree is a popular gender analysis tool that can provide us with macro-mezzo and micro perspectives. Furthermore, because we are influenced by Spanish, American, and global society, we need to review the history or her story, concepts, and gender trends to guide us in our understanding since the Philippine curriculum. This will help to keep the gendered curriculum current and relevant to the needs of the community.

The fourth concept in this framework is Curriculum and Content, which refers to what is the current curriculum that guides our teaching pedagogy and what content we must incorporate gender into the future curriculum that we want to change based on our assessment. To harmonize in a gender curriculum, it is critical to integrate globally recognized content and contextualized practice. Furthermore, there is a need to integrate an international framework on gender equality. Consider the UNESCO Education for All, Sustainable Development, Global Citizenship, Comprehensive Sexuality Education, and SDG 5 Gender Equality Framework concepts, which have yet to be fully integrated into the basic education curriculum. Even some national policies that protect women and children must be discussed in our classroom. Furthermore, we still need to learn new gender concepts such as safe spaces and cultural gender perspectives, and if we want to change the curriculum, we must begin to integrate these concepts and revise the subjects in which they are applicable. This Gender Sensitive Curriculum toolkits adaptation will aid in the integration of these concepts. Important topics which can be incorporated include gender equality framework and women’s empowerment in education. In addition, it is crucial that educators must acquire knowledge about the various Sustainable Development and UNESCO Education for All Framework

Finally, the model’s final but most important concept is Human Rights, which serves as the foundation for gender education. This refers to instilling in our students the importance of understanding women’s rights as human rights, as cited by various international Covenants for Women, such as the CEDAW and the Beijing Platform for Women, to which the Philippine Constitution and in the Magna Carta for Women policy in the Philippines. The idea of protecting women and their children is strongly intertwined to our belief in the inherent dignity and worth of all human beings. Furthermore, we understand that all human beings, regardless of gender, deserve to be treated with worth and dignity by teaching the human rights framework.

Given that education and gender are both dynamic fields influenced by global, national, socio-cultural, and contextual factors, this model will benefit from further refinement and input from various Gender Experts and Scholars. The researcher believes that it can be improved further through additional consultations and discussions with stakeholders in the Philippine educational system, including teachers, students, and education managers.

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