Globally, women are significantly underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects. In Nigeria, the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS) estimates that only 22% of graduates in STEM subjects are women. Key factors behind this gender gap are gender stereotypes, a lack of role models for women, male dominated cultures, and maths anxiety.
Digital literacy is another important contributor. Due to limited access to education, girls typically having lower level digital skills than boys, leading to lower participation in science activities and a lack confidence in their STEM knowledge. Providing girls with an opportunity to develop digital literacy skills is therefore important to achieve gender equity in the ICT sector and enable more women to participate in the digital economy.
Promoting ICT skills for school girls
Between January and March 2023, Commonwealth Alumnus Patrick Ede delivered a training programme entitled ‘Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) Skills’ for girls studying at two secondary schools in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. The training programme aimed at supporting the development and raising awareness of the importance of ICT skills as well as encouraging girls to pursue careers in STEM.
Patrick is a science and maths teacher and through his work encourages female students to pursue science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects. He is passionate about promoting information and communication technology (ICT) skills, digital awareness, and life skills development opportunities amongst school girls.
Over the three-month period when Patrick delivered the training, 200 female students from the Model Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Abakaliki and Eziga Community Secondary School in Onicha participated in the programme, which was intended to deepen their interest in ICT and showcase the creative possibilities of learning digital skills.
Throughout the project, Patrick received significant support from the heads of the two schools, Mrs Comfort Nnenna Aniagor, Principal at the Model Comprehensive Secondary School, and Mr Reuben Ori, Principal at Eziga Community Secondary School.
The programme was developed to complement the Nigerian Communication Commission’s (NCC) Digital Awareness Project (DAP) which seeks to address the digital information knowledge gap in Nigeria through ICT programmes in secondary schools.
Patrick also incorporated the knowledge he had gained during his Commonwealth Professional Fellowship with host organisation the Commonwealth Telecommunication Organisation (CTO).
An inspiring launch to kickstart the programme
On 7 January 2023, Patrick launched the training programme with an opening ceremony held at the Model Girls Comprehensive Secondary School featuring special guests Chief Mrs Chinwe Deborah Okah, Honourable Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Ebonyi State; Dr Sunday Nwangele, Honourable Commissioner for Education, at the Ministry of Grants and Donor Agencies, Ebonyi State; Ms Bernadette Lewis, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO); and Shola Tylor, Engineer and CEO of Tetconsult and formerly Secretary-General of the CTO. The ceremony was attended by students, teachers, and representatives of the Parent Teacher Association (PTA).
Speaker Godwin Ezaka
Patrick was also supported by guest speakers Ms Lucy Uzodimma Ogodo, Medical Laboratory Scientist and Director of Tomorrow is a Girl Foundation and Mr Godwin Chinonso Ezaka, staff member at the Dental Clinic Department in the Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki (AE-FUTHA II) and Executive Director of the Twins and Multiple Births Care Foundation, Abakaliki.
During the opening ceremony, Ms Ogodo delivered a talk on ‘The place of a girl child in the development
Speaker Ms. Uzodimma Lucy Ogodo
of our society’ in which she stressed that boys and girls have the same capacity to undertake STEM subjects and encouraged girls to pursue careers in STEM. In Mr Ezaka’s speech on ‘Scaling skills in ICT’, he further reiterated that ICT holds equal opportunities, irrespective of sex. He stated that computer literacy is a necessary skill that everyone must acquire.
STEM clubs to sustain the ICT training
Following the opening ceremony, female students from the two schools began the three-month training delivered by Patrick.
After an initial baseline assessment of their existing ICT skills, the students completed training in using computer programming languages HTML, CSS, and Javascript. With the skills they had developed, the students were each tasked with building their own website to showcase at the programme closing ceremony.
By learning how to use programming languages, the students were able to see how many of the apps and social media platforms they enjoyed using were created and designed. This insight revealed new possibilities for working in ICT which the students not previously considered. Following the training, the hope is that the students will put the skills they have learned to good use in their future studies and careers.
During the closing ceremony, Patrick announced the launch of STEM clubs for the two schools which he hoped would further promote STEM learning among female students as well as embedding digital literacy.
Through practical demonstrations and instruction, the clubs will encourage students enjoy learning about maths and science with a view to developing an interest in a career in STEM. In addition, the students will also continue having access to the computer laboratory to hone the digital skills.
Patrick Ede is a 2021 Commonwealth Professional Fellow hosted by the Commonwealth Telecommunication Organisation (CTO).
