‘Use ICT to empower girls’
GIRLS should discard the notion that Information Communication and Technology (ICT) is a man reserve and endeavour to enter into that field so they could multiply their opportunities and achieve equal-partner status in the ICT driven economy. It is also high time pro girls empowerment groups incorporate ICT as a critical empowerment for the girl child and look beyond donating clothes and pads.
Since 2011, International Girls in ICT Day has been celebrated i n 150 countries around t he world. International Girls in ICT Day is on 28 April 2016.
A simple survey in ICT classes i n colleges and universities shows an negative imbalance in the ratio of girls doing ICT.
It is even worse in the cooperate sector with few women in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) driven industry
ICT enables t break he girl child to break down communication barriers.
Every girl should be able to surf the net, to download or upload soft copies of books, photos or videos and to send email.
Application of scholarships and jobs is now done electronically.
In countries like Ghana and Nigeria the “Girls in ICT” programme, a project that seeks to increase the number of girls studying ICT at all levels of education system.
The programme also seeks to within a few years, establish a substantive number of competent women ICT professionals holding jobs at all levels in the ICT sector as well as setting up their own ICT businesses to create jobs and reduce unemployment.
Such a programme should be instituted and sustained in Zimbabwe to benefit girls in both urban and rural communities.
Computer maintenance, programming, website development, software engineering, graphic designing are some of t he courses t hey need to do.
That is teaching a girl child to catch fish.
The ICT programme would i nvolve training mentoring, resource mobilisation, girls’ empowerment, awards in ICT, school competition in ICT and curriculum enhancement for all schools in the use of ICT and internet for them to apply the skills in their daily lives.
The call is on corporate sector to support such an initiative.
Special appeal to women who have made it in the ICT sector to share their stories about why technology is so attractive to them, and how they will contribute towards the future world of technology.
Shepherd Chimururi Executive director - DzidzoInhaka Audio Visual Learning Mobile:+263 772 608 276 dzidzoinhaka@ gmail. com www. dzidzoinhaka. co. zw