In celebration of the 2023 Women’s Month themed “WE for Gender Equality and Inclusive Society”, the Commission on Higher Education Regional Office 2 (CHED RO2) conducted a seminar yesterday, March 22, 2023, at the CHED RO2 Auditorium, Regional Government Center, Carig Sur, Tuguegarao City, Cagayan.

Actively participated by officials and representatives from Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) across the region, the activity primarily accentuated the role of technology and education in promoting gender equality and furthering diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Hon. Claire M. Callangan, Tuguegarao Sangguniang Panlungsod Member, discussed the topic “Promoting Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace: Strategies for Creating a Gender-Equal Workplace” in which she emphasized the diversity of people in an organization and the importance of the existence of inclusion which allows individuals to feel accepted, continue being motivated, and further become better versions of themselves creating a positive impact towards their family, community, and society in general. Her talk expounded that fostering diversity and inclusion in the workplace will result to higher employee management, higher innovation, better decision making, higher employee retention, and boosted organizational reputation. Hon. Callangan added that that the significant amount of effort, respect and understanding must come from all of the members of an organization.

On behalf of Dr. Esther Susan N. Perez-Mari, University of Cagayan Valley President (UCV), Dr. Gregoria Goccal, UCV Vice President for Administration, delivered a speech on the topic “Role of Technology and Education in Promoting Gender Equality”. Dr. Goccal mentioned technological innovations as an integral tool in delivering quality education towards stakeholders. Mr. Francis D. Cordova, CHED RO2 GAD Focal Person, delved further on the said topic by giving specifics on the current trends in technology such as the Artificial Intelligence (AI) platform innovations.

Mr. Cordova featured ChatGPT, a powerful tool driven by AI that generates human-like responses to text-based conversations, and respectfully reminded the participants to be mindful of the technological innovations while integrating it to the way higher education is being delivered. Likewise, he emphasized that educators have the responsibility to go the extra mile in delivering quality education by optimizing the advantages of policies, decisions, or opportunities; thence, preventing risks from materializing, and minimizing damages that may manifest or have already happened.

Through the foregoing type of framing, educators and stakeholders alike will be able to move forward not only towards excellent delivery of education but also towards a more gender-equal society.