Story filed by Dennis Bebane
The European Union Resilience Against Climate Change Project (REACH), has launched a pilot ICT project for girls in some selected Basic Schools in the Upper West Region.
The progamme aims to empower students with information communication and technological skills to enhance their learning activities and ignite the passion of the students, especially the females to consider a career in ICT to help bridge the gender gap in the sector.
Technical Advisor In-charge of ICT for REACH Project, Mustapha Yakubu said there are millions of opportunities in the sector but females have the perception that the subject is difficult. He was speaking at the sensitisation and training programme for students at Saint Paul’s Papu R/C Basic School in the Nadowli Kaleo District of the Upper West Region.
The school is one of the EU-REACH six Nature Club Schools in the Region with the aim of raising younger generation to contribute to the protection of the environment as well as promoting afforestation.
The training is organised by EU-REACH project focusing on equipping students with computer skills to enhance learning activities and ignite their passion for ICT positively. The Technical Advisor In-charge of ICT for REACH Project, Mustapha Yakubu said with available data from research, females are shying away from ICT.
He observed that technological space in Ghana one can only mention a few notable women that have studied ICT to the higher level. Mr. Yakubu said REACH Project wants to expose the students to the job opportunities in the sector at the early stage of their education and allay the fears that the subject is difficult to learn.
“I notice that even if you are going to study in Secondary School and you want to study Science people are telling you science is difficult, physics, chemistry, and biology are all difficult and you cannot pass it and all that.
They have already carried away with these kids but that is the path that can take them through the tech space. If you want to go through technology then you need to understand science, so they shouldn’t be shying away from it, they should not say science is so difficult to study.
So, we want to already expose them to the various opportunities that come with technology. I’m sure if you ask these kids what they want to become in future most of them probably will not mention tech, especially the females.
But there are so many job opportunities, you can talk about network engineering, software development, database system engineering, system administration, graphic designing and many more,” Mr. Yakubu explained.
Mr. Yakubu said elsewhere women are doing well in ICT and that have impacted their lives greatly and same can be done in Ghana if more attention is paid to the sector. He said many students especially those in rural areas do not have access to desktop and laptop computers.
He stressed that some have never seen a computer before and it will be very difficult for such students to understand and appreciate the teaching of ICT in the classroom.
Mr. Yakubu said the world is going greener and some countries are now developing new technology in order to do away with activities that affect the environment. He indicated that many countries are switching from fuel vehicles to electric cars and all have to do with ICT.
Mr. Yakubu was optimistic that inculcating ICT in the younger ones will impact their way of thinking towards the technology and how that can help transform lives and the country positively.
CEO of Yison Technology Hub, Isssahaque Serikpera Naa said the Technological space is being dominated by males and stressed the need for it to partner with REACH to bridge the gap. The project trained students on, micro soft office, E-mailing, how to do google search, and how to design their personal time tables among others.
Serikpera Naa said the world is becoming a technological globe with more job opportunities and urged students to take advantage of the programme.