Teachers appeal to GMES and Africa to offer Scholarship Schemes to Excelling Girls at the Second Cycle Institutions in Africa
At the GMES and Africa Women in Tech Symposium organised in Accra-Ghana, Mrs. Lydia Amoah, a teacher at the Ghana National College appeal to the GMES and Africa programme to support the excelling girls in Senior High Schools in Africa. Discover her plea
"I stand here as an ICT tutor of Ghana National College in the Central Region of Ghana, patron of the Arduino Club of Ghana National College and a very passionate woman in the field of Technology, I am here to share one or two experiences in the teaching of information and Communication technology".
Mrs. Lydia Amoah, a teacher at the Ghana National College
“I love to see young girls go out and grab the world by the lapels. However, over the past couple of years, there has been a proliferation of narratives on ‘women in tech’. They span the need to involve more women in technological development and design, encouraging girls to pursue academic programmes that will get them into the tech workforce, including women in tech decision-making across public and private policy spaces, as well as leveraging technology to address a range of social, economic, political and cultural issues women face across the globe.
Owing to adverse socio-cultural biases, women’s contributions have been downplayed. Coding, for instance, was once considered a non-prestigious and low paying job for women. As its significance became clearer, women were increasingly boxed out, and the accruing prestige and pay instead went to men. While women were more than capable, adverse sociocultural norms came into play to dictate who gets credit and remuneration. This is an important ‘origin story’, as it challenges the myth that there are fewer women in technology—and less diversity in the technological workforce overall.
It is undoubtedly true that our girls are missing out in this jurisdiction as the origin story has been. However, there have been a number of intervention programs to stimulate the interest of these girls like the Energy Clubs, Stem Clubs, Robotics and this current Arduino Project under the GMES Program. These are all important aspects to ensuring that women are involved, not only as consumers but also as co-creators of the digital present and futures.
I must say that this particular Arduino program is a full package of support system for our girls and the evidence is clearer in their earnest participation and quest to continue for a longer period.
In my school for instance, the ladies were overjoyed after their own connections and saw the LED light blinking, they were highly enthusiastic about the whole program. The Buzzer experience took them to a different level.
All indication points to the fact that this program will greatly help students upgrade their knowledge in technology. We, on our part, as tutors are in full support and will do whatever is needed to sustain this at the second cycle school. It is our plea that the organizer considers these few proposals:
- A team of trainers can visit selected schools periodically to assist students and tutors in their project.
- Organize competition based projects intermittently among the selected schools to sustain the interest in the program.
- Offer support in funding projects in the various schools.
- Organize experience sharing programs periodically for students and tutors to share their experiences with their counterparts in the sub-regions just like today’s own
- If possible, offer scholarship schemes to excelling girls at the second cycle institutions.
In conclusion, I will like to reiterate that our girls are capable, our girls are willing and with our unflinching support and intervention programs like Arduino, we will surely get them there and change the narrative for good.
As said by Audrey Hepburn, nothing is impossible; the word itself says "I’m possible’!".
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| Group Picture at the opening ceremony of the Women in Tech Symposium, Accra. |
The Women in Tech symposium organised by the UG-GMES consortium was attended by more than 200 participants comprising of girls students, teachers and headmistresses from secondary schools, representatives of the Ghana Education Services, the programme managers and coordinators at the African Union Commission, the European Union, the private sector... The initiative is led by Prof. George Wiafe, the Project Manager of the Project at the University of Ghana.
More Information
- The Arduino Project, Arduino is an open-source electronics platform based on easy-to-use hardware and software, https://www.arduino.cc/index.php
Source and posting, the UG-GMES Team. The GMES and Africa UG consortium is co-funded by the African Union and the European Union Commissions
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