A non-governmental organisation (NGO), STEMi Makers Africa, in partnership with Enugu State Tech Hub, has trained some secondary school girls in Enugu State in STEM technology and education through its STEMNovation Bootcamp programme.
The founder and executive director of the NGO, Amanda Obidike, noted that the participants were mostly aged 13 – 18 years, with some few undergraduate students.
In her address, Obidike stated that the objective of the programme was to raise awareness and to introduce life-changing, marketable skills in STEM technology and in the evolving world of science to girls who are looking forward to starting a career in the evolving world of the labour market.
She stressed the challenges and the benefits of the emerging world of technology, adding that there is more in the girls than they could imagine, only if they are able to look at the world differently.
“Oftentimes, young girls suffer societal stereotypes and narrative. Society makes them think that it is only the boys that can invent or create,” she lamented. “Girls need the support and confidence that they can also identify a solution to a persistent problem in their communities.”
Speaking about the partnership, Obidike stated that the Enugu State Tech Hub aligns with their value of building the next generation of technologists and innovators in Nigeria.
“The STEMNovation Bootcamp programme is one of its kind in the Southeast region of Nigeria, where we are grooming young girls to succeed in STEM,” she added. “And we are glad the Enugu State Tech Hub partnered with us on this.”
Representatives of the Tech Hub were the general manager, Chidubem Anowor; and the programme manager, Chidinma Michael.
While commending the NGO for their work in grooming young girls in technology and STEM, Anowor noted that The Tech Hub is an agency of the Enugu State Ministry of Technology and that they are happy to provide a conducive space and resource tools for the project.
Facilitators at the event taught the girls basic concepts of STEM through STEM resource tools and activities in drone making, data analytics, prototyping and 3D printing, coding, robotics, and animation.
The participants were also given hands-on projects − involving electrical circuiting and coding with the scratch drag-and-drop programme − to fix real-life challenges in society. They were also involved in team collaboration to help accelerate and foster collaborative learning, critical thinking, and creativity.
One of the facilitators with the NGO, Caleb Kylie, said it is interesting to see young minds being tasked and put to work, adding that the girls’ eagerness to learn is encouraging.
“Learning should not be a consecutive pattern of syllabus around the school walls. It should be engaging, interactive and practical,” Kylie said. “This is one way we can help our young people to evolve in this new world of technology.”
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