About 10,000 girls are going to benefit under ‘Girls4Tech’ programme, which is being implemented in 100 government schools in three districts of Jammu region, an official spokesperson said.
The Directorate of School Education, Jammu (DSEJ) in collaboration with the American India Foundation (AIF) is going to implement the programme in Jammu, Kathua and Samba districts, he said.He said it is an award-winning education programme aimed at creating ‘problem solvers’ and enabling the students to discover a range of Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) careers, such as fraud detective, data scientist and software engineer.“This will enhance the pathway not only to STEM, but to a promising future for girls,” the spokesperson said. “Under this programme, AIF will hold online training sessions for girls, as well as provide relevant teaching-learning materials to teachers and schools,” the spokesperson said. He said through its education interventions, AIF works with children studying in Grades 6 to 10 and strives to create an effective and integrated STEM learning environment.
Elaborating on the initiative, Director School Education, Jammu, Anuradha Gupta said girls’ participation and awareness in STEM-related careers in India is not up to the mark and with the fast-moving economy, it is important to provide equal access to women in quality education at all levels.“Career and vocational guidance integrated with the STEM approach can go a long way in attaining this objective,” she said.Appreciating Guidance and Counselling Cell head Romesh Kumar, Gupta said this programme would not only bring rural girl students at par with their urban counterparts by exposing them to the world class technology curriculum but also sensitise them about cyber security.
