Virtual Multi-Stakeholder Sectoral Conference on Gains and Challenges of Gender Mainstreaming: Education Sector

The Gains and Challenges of Gender Mainstreaming: the PCW and NAPC Sectoral Multi-Stakeholder Conference provided a venue for sharing valuable lessons learned from implementing various programs and projects to address the issues and concerns of the sectors to gather lessons learned from the perspective of key stakeholders. It also gathered the gains and challenges that surfaced and served as inputs for the development of gender-responsive policies, programs, and interventions that are more focused on the grassroots level. The conference recognized the shift from a government-focused gender mainstreaming approach to a multi-sectoral and multi-dimensional approach that harnesses gender mainstreaming efforts of civil society, the academe, international organizations, the private sector, and the grassroots level towards a synergistic and inclusive gender-responsive governance approach.

The sessions in the education sector served as a venue to showcase the notable initiatives of government organizations, CSOs, and private institutions in gender and development. As the Philippine education system faced numerous uncertainties, especially amidst the pandemic, the presented best practices of the organizations not only signify their staunch support of gender equality and women’s empowerment but also intensify the response to the prevalence of gender biases in the education sector.

As frontrunners in the education sector and protectors of human rights, it is only imperative to advocate for gender-responsive and transformative programs to ensure that GAD is implemented within and beyond our school institutions.