A generation of IT girls on the rise

‘DON’T be scared,” says Hlulani Bayoli, standing at the front of a classroom filled with teenage girls. “It’s nothing hectic.”

To the girls in the class, “hectic” perfectly describes what they are about to do: learn to create computer code for the first time. They are taking part in a workshop hosted by Girls Invent Tomorrow, an initiative to mentor South African girls in computer skills. Its founder, Thuli Sibeko, explains that training sessions like these focus on educating small groups of girls, allowing for one-on-one engagements.

“This format promotes open engagement among the girls, encouraging them to fully immerse themselves in the session and to take as much as possible away from the coding session.”

Today the engagement is with Baloyi, who represents a global initiative, Girl Rising, sponsored by Intel to encourage young women to take up careers in information technology.

She is a shining example to her students. Now 22, she grew up without ever using a PC or laptop, but still went on to study computer science at the Tshwane University of Technology. She works as a mobile and web developer and was recently selected as South Africa’s first ambassador for the Girl Rising movement.

The workshop for Girls Invent Tomorrow, also backed by Intel, is part of the African EduWeek conference at the Sandton Convention Centre. Baloyi’s next workshop is planned for Atteridgeville, outside Pretoria. The intention is to take digital education deep into communities that are not usually exposed to it.

Intel is also behind She Will Connect, an international programme that commits to expanding digital literacy skills among young women in developing countries. In combination, the projects suggest a new approach to computer education.

“Our approach is to change mindsets,” says Thabani Khupe, corporate affairs director for Intel South Africa. “In most corporate social investment, technology deployment is about ticking a box and then moving on. At Intel, education is a huge focus in itself.”

The target is not only young girls, but also teachers and even seasoned bureaucrats. Workshops with government decision-makers on the benefits of ICT in education, and with teachers on how to use digital tools to teach, are some of the elements of the Intel model.

And some of these are not negotiable. “There should not even be a debate that teachers need technology,” says Khupe. “The debate should be about how it’s implemented and how we follow through.”

The intention is to take digital education deep into communities

The approach also moves beyond the “cargo culture” mentality that wasted more than R1-billion on the Gauteng Online project in recent years. Thousands of computers were delivered to schools that didn’t even have electricity, let alone teachers who knew how to use the technology — because it was about ticking boxes rather than solving problems.

That, says country manager Videsha Proothveerajh, is exactly what Intel wants to avoid.

“Yes, you receive a device, but what does it do for you? Some people are early adopters, some in the middle, some resistant to change.

“However, we find when they start using computers in their homes and work and start talking about it, this success becomes contagious.”

Intel is also assisting in creating “reference schools” from Diepsloot and Soweto to Khayelitsha and Limpopo. “Technology needs to work everywhere,” says Proothveerajh.

Goldstuck is founder of World Wide Worx and editor-in-chief of Gadget.co.za. Follow him on Twitter @art2gee