INTEC and INAFOCAM towards 170 specialists in Gender and Equality Policies in Education
SANTO DOMINGO- The Center for Gender Studies Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo (CEG- INTEC) delivered to Dominican society 21 professionals specializing in Gender and Equality Policies in Education, aimed at developing skills that allow the development of educational plans and programs that promote equity between women and men, with the objective to respond to the needs of the current educational system in the Dominican Republic.
During the closing ceremony of the program developed together to the National Institute for Teacher Education and Training (INAFOCAM) and the Ministry of Education MINERD, the professionals of the Regionals 07,08 and 09, Puerto Plata, Santiago and Mao, presented their final projects within the framework of the seminar "Experiences, Perspectives and Challenges of Education for Equality in the Dominican Republic", activity that falls within the Equality Month at INTEC.
Dalul Ordehi, Dean of the Area of Social Sciences and Humanities, reiterated the need for a gender equality policy focused on education and pointed out the positive impact that it could generate on the educational quality of Dominican society, aspects that are reflected in the CEG-INTEC document: "Educating for Equality in the Dominican Republic: Challenges and proposals". In this are offered 11 recommendations to help the State fulfill its commitment to promote equality in education.
"Education for equality promotes the elimination of social prejudices and gender stereotypes, managing to empower all people so that they have equal opportunities in all areas of life." He added that "this means that all students, regardless of their gender or any other condition, must have the same opportunities to learn, develop skills and build a full life project."
Desiree Del Rosario, coordinator of the CEG-INTEC, and coordinator of the Specialty demanded that the Educational System assume equality as a “non-delegable” responsibility. "You cannot continue on the course that we are going that is a problem of justice, when it is a problem of education because what we need is to prevent, not punish after the fact," he emphasized, referring to violence against women and girls, very present in the field of Education
In turn, he said that "equality is not optional, it is a responsibility and a right that must be worked on and that must be taught from the educational system", while mentioning that these 21 graduates join the 170 professionals trained in gender issues by INTEC, who assured that they will contribute to solving this problem.
Likewise, the representative of the Gender and Development Directorate of the Ministry of Education, Wilfredo Santana, explained that there is a lot of resistance to the issue of equality as a result of the "complex condition of the pre-university educational system", and pointed out the importance of men are also integrated into these spaces that seek the improvement of society. "There are men who bet on harmonious coexistence between both sexes, to guarantee equal rights."
The artistic activity that inaugurated the space for academic reflections was carried out by the singer Laura Cadete, who sang the song "Creo en mí", by the renowned Natalia Jiménez.
A total of four groups spoke during the event. Among the issues they addressed, is the "poor family integration and its effect on student behavior at the El Castillo educational center", "Analysis of intervention processes to address and prevent cases of violence in Japan primary school", “Inclusion of the gender perspective in the Continuing Education of teachers at the Prof. Ramón López School” and “School bullying in the Liceo Arroyo Blanco and Tigilda Vargas Schools”.
On the Specialty in Gender and Equality Policies in Education of INTEC
Marcelina Piña, coordinator of the INAFOCAM Postgraduate Department, indicated that the specialty that has been taught since 2012 was structured to contribute to the training of professionals with skills in planning, evaluation, analysis, and educational intervention, in order to promote balanced social development. , sustainable and equitable from a gender perspective.
As part of the program of this fourth cohort, which includes the regions of Mao, Puerto Plata and Santiago, a process of pedagogical accompaniment is developed with the objective of strengthening the performance of the participants through strategies that stimulate empowerment, innovative initiatives, critical reflection and permanent analysis of practice and context, generating new actions to improve management processes and educational transformation from a gender perspective. Likewise, two experiential seminars are held to promote self-care of the participating teachers.
Divided into four groups or networks according to geographic proximity, the participants interacted with each other to promote reflection on their practice and decision-making for the promotion of transformation and improvement processes, guaranteeing the achievement of learning from a gender, intersectional and inclusive.
The development of the accompaniment of this Specialty in Gender and Equality Policies in Education foresees: reflective network meetings at the beginning and end of each quarter, observations in context, post-observation reflective practices, communities of practice and individual accompaniment to each person accompanied for three consecutive quarters.
The activity had the participation of Sheila Baez, Coordinator of Pedagogical Accompaniment and teacher of the specialty, the technician of the Guidance and Psychology Unit of the School District 08-05 (Santiago), Tania Martínez; District 09-03 (Sabaneta) technician, Yomaily Zapata and the deputy director of the Ramón López educational center, José Silvestre Acosta. The activity was moderated by Rosa Alcántara, teacher of the INTEC Social Communication career.