Virginio Gómez Professional Institute will have the first Gender Observatory for Higher Education Institutions

With the aim of installing a culture of equality and non-discrimination as part of the institutional seal, the Virginio Gómez Professional Institute will create the first Gender and Equity Observatory (OGE) in the Biobío and Ñuble regions.

This in order to promote debate and collective reflection regarding the equity situation in Higher Education Institutions and generate collaborative alliances that allow progress on this point with public and private entities.

This initiative is part of a project financed through an Institutional Development Fund (FDI) of the Ministry of Education, which was awarded the house of studies and whose resources amount to more than 200 million pesos. Likewise, its implementation will extend over the next three years and will involve the three IPVG headquarters, focusing on different actions that allow responding to new social challenges and being consistent with Law 21,369 that regulates sexual harassment, violence and gender discrimination in the field of higher education.

“The Professional Institutes are centers of change management in their environment and towards society. In this sense, assuming a vanguard position on this issue, through the installation of a culture of equity, is essential. Thanks to this fund, we will be able to strengthen the adoption of measures that allow promoting the inclusion and participation of women and men in the academic field and guarantee equal opportunities, both for students and collaborators throughout our institution”, commented the Rector of the IPVG, Rolando Hernández Mellado.

In addition to the Observatory, the other initiatives committed to achieving this scenario are: training and educating the educational community to position the culture of equity based on knowledge on these issues. And, on the other hand, seek the incorporation of standards of national organizations in institutional processes, with the aim of achieving institutional certification in this area.

The implementation of this fund will be carried out through the Gender Equity Unit of the IPVG, which, according to the Vice Chancellor Claudia Mora Méndez, “achieving these objectives will allow us as a university to achieve the highest indicators and standards, such as like those of Iceland or Norway. In this way, we will not only have the opportunity to make a difference as IP, but also to work in collaboration with other public and private organizations and move towards reducing gaps in highly masculinized and/or feminized TP careers, contributing to responding to the needs of our country and also international requirements”, he concluded.