MANILA, Philippines — The use of gender-responsive assessment tools for evaluating instructional materials in basic, higher and technical-vocational education has been institutionalized by the Department of Education (DepEd), Philippine Commission on Women (PCW), Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
Education Secretary Sonny Angara, PCW Chairperson Ermelita Valdeavilla, CHED Chairperson Shirley Agrupis and TESDA chief Jose Francisco Benitez signed Joint Memorandum Circular 2025-3 on the guidelines on the use of the gender-responsive assessment tools.
The memorandum provides a unified framework to ensure that all learning resources, whether printed, digital, audiovisual or online, are free from gender bias, stereotypes and discriminatory content.
It serves as a practical guide for curriculum developers, module writers, instructional designers and resource evaluators in creating inclusive, empowering and gender-sensitive educational materials.
The memorandum said poor performance in national and international assessments, including the Program for International Student Assessment and licensure examinations reflect broader quality issues in the education system, with gendered dimensions, such as differentiated learning outcomes and subject preferences influenced by stereotypes, unequal teacher expectations and limited gender-responsive methods.
Gender biases and stereotyping persist in the curricula, instructional materials, delivery and assessment of instruction, use of sexist language, school policies, learning environment and other educational concerns, it noted.
Pay hike pushed
It is high time for President Marcos to heed the longstanding calls of teachers and education workers for a meaningful salary increase, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers said yesterday.
ACT chairperson Vladimer Quetua said that while the teachers welcomed the recent approval of salary increases and tiered medical allowances for government-owned and controlled corporation employees, he said that all workers deserve decent pay and benefits.
“For years, this administration has repeatedly invoked ‘tight fiscal space’ to deny substantial wage and salary increases for teachers, employees and workers, while at the same time allowing trillions to be funneled into anomalous flood control projects, overpriced infrastructure, bloated allocations to agencies notorious for corruption and human rights violations. There is no shortage of public funds, only misplaced priorities,” Quetua said.