The enduring perception, mostly stereotypical, that girls are not well adopted to pursue courses and careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) has stopped many girls from enrolling into these subjects.
To dispel this perception, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) has launched a strategic initiative designed to empower and woo young women enrolled in the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) system, guiding them towards STEM careers.
By actively engaging with the students and providing them with targeted support and career guidance, the university aims to instill balance in traditional career paradigms and foster a more inclusive and diverse landscape within STEM fields.
As a prerequisite to the upcoming commemoration of Girls in ICT Day on April 25, 2024, JKUAT trained 50 pupils from JKUAT Primary on robotics and STEM careers.
During the session, it was observed that more than 95 per cent of the young women who were trained expressed a preference for careers outside of STEM fields. Many of them indicated aspirations for careers in law, medicine and the arts.
After the training, things took a turn for the better.
Dorris Amakobe, a Grade 7 pupil who harbours aspirations to be a lawyer, had a mental shift.
“I have learnt about careers in technology and I have become interested in artificial intelligence. I want to know how to teach robots to act like humans,” Amakobe said.
Director of the School of Computing and Information Technology Dr Agnes Mindila stated that teaching children while they are young helps them form their own career paths in technology.
Dr Mindila revealed that plans are underway to make the training an annual event.
“We have started from home but in future we are planning to rope in students from different schools as part of the commemoration of women in ICT,” she said.
She added that the training also provides a valuable window for the university to gather insights into CBC for future endeavours in curriculum development.
The training is supported by UNICEF under SCIT.
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