Evolutionary Prism

The Department of Education (DepEd) formulated a policy to support those who wish to express their gender and identity more openly by offering education on gender and sexuality as a result of gender-related issues that harm individuals physically, mentally, and emotionally, For people who wish to express their gender and sexuality openly, this will provide opportunities for LGBTQ+ students, give awareness on the different genders and sexualities, and aid future leaders in making decisions inclusive for everyone in terms of gender.

This policy advocates for gender equality and human rights, specifically calling for education on the genders and sexualities and allowing teachers and students alike to express themselves freely. Through this policy, gender-related issues may be lessened as there are proven studies on the correlation between education and crime rates.

A survey by Kristina Veselak on the correlation of educational attainment to the chances of crime commitment involved inmates with educational accomplishments from a range of less than grade 8 to graduate school. Through a chi-squared test, it was found that those with graduate education have committed fewer crimes compared to those from other categories. Thus, it can be concluded that the higher the educational attainment, the lesser chance of committing offenses. This may go the same for gender-related crimes as education on gender and sexuality may change people’s perceptions of the concept.

It may be argued that academic constitutions should focus on students’ academics instead of well-being, but there have also been studies on the relationship of bullying and academic performance. Remy Mbah Mbah’s research on this proves that mental and emotional instability negatively affects one’s academics. Out of 24 students, 19 responded saying bullying has affected their studies while majority mentioned that only one subject was affected for them.

This policy in action, including education on gender and sexuality, would lessen gender-related issues in school, if not fully avoided. This would greatly benefit a community that has been in the dark for the past decade by allowing them to show their true colors. This also leaves us with the challenge of helping and supporting one another as members of the school community to contribute to a safe and healthy environment.