DepEd Sec. Briones, pinuri ang mga Pilipinang siyentista sa pagtugon ng pandemya

PINURIHAN ni Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones ang mga kababaihan sa kanilang kontribusyon sa pag-aaral sa COVID-19, siyensiya at teknolohiya.

Ipinahayag ito sa kaniyang talumpati sa isinagawang 2021 International Day of Women and Girls in Science program noong nakaraang Huwebes.

“We are now at the age where we believe that men and women have been equally gifted by God, by nature. It is something comparable gifts for research, for innovations, for courage, and for creating new ways of studying the state of our planet, our life, and also facing the [current] challenges confronting us,” ayon kay Briones.

Binigyang-halaga ni Briones ang mahalagang ambag ng kababaihan na nagpaunlad ng kaalamang siyentipiko na may kaugnayan sa pandemya ng COVID-19.

Binanggit din niya na malaki ang tulong ng mga women-led institution sa tugon ng pamahalaan sa pandemya tulad ng Philippine Genome Center at UP College of Medicine.

“Women, if brought to the field of science and technology will be making great contributions along with men,” aniya.

Binigyang-diin ni Briones ang pangangailangang bigyan ng oportunidad ang larangan ng siyensiya dahil sa kakulangan ng siyentistang babae ng bansa.

“We don’t have as many [female] scientists in the field but those who are in are making huge contributions. Still, these are not enough, this is still a major challenge to us because there is a great deal of untapped talent, untapped persons who could make even more significant contributions,” pagbabahagi ng kalihim.

Hinikayat ni Briones ang stakeholders na suportahan ang mga babaeng kabataan na ninanais pasukin ang larangan ng siyensiya at teknolohiya.

“For so long, we have had stereotypes of what courses or fields of study women should engage in to be prepared for being a mother, a wife and usually the fields that are primarily related to these are for functions of women,” aniya.

“These challenges are confronting us, and as we face this pandemic, and I doubt that this will be our last pandemic. There will be more of them, we’ll be needing more scientists, more people in science and technology, we’ll be needing more women,” dagdag ni Briones.

SMNI NEWS