Gender-Responsive Basic Education Policy: An Assessment

This study assessed the effectiveness of the Gender-Responsive Basic Education Policy in fostering an inclusive and equitable learning environment. Gender-responsive education policies aim to address disparities in access, participation, and learning outcomes by promoting gender-sensitive curricula, teacher training, and inclusive school governance. Using a descriptive research design, the study employed a researcher-made questionnaire administered to 103 teachers, with data analyzed through arithmetic mean, standard deviation, and the Kruskal-Wallis test. Results revealed that the majority of respondents were female (66.99%) and had over 15 years of teaching experience (38.83%). The overall implementation of the policy was rated high (M = 4.129), with the gender-sensitive curriculum (M = 4.454) and gender-fair learning environments (M = 4.265) receiving the highest ratings. Other components, such as capacity building, prevention of gender-based violence, and stakeholder engagement, were also positively rated. A significant difference in implementation was observed based on educational attainment (p = 0.023), while no significant differences were found in relation to sex (p = 0.636), age (p = 0.741), or teaching experience (p = 0.429). These findings highlight the importance of strong policy enforcement, continuous teacher training, and institutional support in achieving the goals of gender-responsive education.