Creating Opportunities for
Women and Youth

In an increasingly global society, it’s critical that we create and expand opportunities for young girls to access the kind of education that will enable them to navigate and lead the 21st-century world they are expected to inherit. While all subject areas are important, we know that to thrive in our technology-driven era, young people specifically women need to be supported in building their skills in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).  

ACWICT’s Education program is geared towards addressing the gender disparities due to discrimination, biases, social norms and expectations that influence the quality of education women receive and the subjects they study.  We provide a two-pronged approach targeting both the teacher and the student/pupil in promoting, attracting and retaining more young women and girls in the STEM and Computer Science related careers from Primary school, through high school and tertiary levels.

The first level approach targets the Women Science Teachers in both Primary and secondary schools. It is premised on a TOT approach that aims of building the capacity of women teachers in ICTs to improve learning outcomes and also address the issues affecting Girl-Child pursuance of STEM studies. The teachers become ambassadors and Mentors of STEM studies in their schools to not only increase interest among school girls to take up STEM and computer science related subjects, but also innovatively change how they are taught 

The second approach targets the girls in the upper primary school classes (Class 6 to 8) and the lower high school classes (Form 1 and 2). This is premised on the need to lay a strong foundation at the primary school level. Through Boot camps, the girls are given coding skills and also interact with leading women scientists who are invited to give motivational talks and to act as their role models. 

Through this knowledge and understanding, the girls gain resilience, confidence and interest in taking up and choosing science subjects and maths as their preferred pathways of study.