Experts in the Nigerian educational sector have identified access to digital tools and resources as the key drivers to facilitate and encourage young girls to take more interest in STEM-related fields. This assertion was the summary of the conversations during the March edition of EdTech Mondays, an initiative of the Mastercard Foundation in partnership with Co-Creation Hub.
The virtual roundtable moderated by Joyce Daniel, a social engineering practitioner, featured experts in the education and technology space, including Ada Nduka Oyom, the Founder of She Code Africa; Dr. Adefunke Ekine, the Deputy Director, Research and External Linkages, Tai Solarin University of Education and Judith Okonkwo, a technology evangelist and the Founder of Imisi 3D.
Speaking at the roundtable with the themed: ‘Celebrating African Women in Education and Technology,’ Ekine stated that the low number of young girls in Nigeria’s engineering and technology-related field is due to the challenge of direct access to digital tools and resources.
She noted that the problem is further aggravated by the abysmal quality of teaching noticeable in foundational subjects such as Mathematics, adding that teaching in Nigeria is more abstract than functional. The Associate Professor of education explained that there is the need to adopt a storytelling approach to elicit interest in the girl-child participation in STEM-related courses.
In her remarks, Oyom, an advocate of female representation in STEM education, noted that young girls must be optimistic that anything is achievable if they set their minds to achieve it.
While citing examples of the success stories of She Code Africa on STEM education, she stressed the need for stakeholders to make resources and tools available and expose young girls to other opportunities.
Also speaking, Founder Imisi 3D, Judith Okonkwo, stated that the global aspiration for gender parity is realizable if stakeholders focus on providing immediate access to the girl-child regardless of social status. She urged women in the technology space to remain focused regardless of the challenges they may be going through, noting that success awaits them in their chosen careers.