Victoria Mgbanwa
As part of celebration of the international Day of girls in ICT, the Society of Women Engineers, SWE – FCT Chapter trained girls in Government Secondary School Garki, Area 11 Abuja on digital skills, with the theme: “Digital Skills for Life in ICT”.
The Chairperson of Society of Women Engineers FCT Chapter, Engineer Hantiya Idoh, said Information, Communication and Technology is the key to success in every career .
She urged the government to equip schools with digital technologies to ensure equalities among boys and girls.
” We all know that if we catch them young in ICT, they will have a better future because there is nothing you can do without ICT. Information, Communication and Technology is the key to success in every career.”
“We have always agitated for equality among boys and girls, we encourage government to ensure that schools are well equipped with ICT. That is the first step.There should be a policy ensuring that all schools both public and private are fully equipped with ICT equipments.”
She further encouraged parents to allow their children use their phone in positive way, adding that the money utilized in buying phones can be used to purchase computer.
“Some of the girls don’t even have information about what we are doing and that’s why we go down to the grassroot even to the schools in communities to teach the parents the importance of stem, Science technology Engineering and Mathematics career and without ICT, you cannot go into this career.
” Parents should encourage their girl child , I can assure you that 80% of mothers and even children in rural communities have access to phone. That is the beginning of it, they should use their phone not just to their disadvantage but they should utilize it positively”, she noted.
The Project Director for Society for Women Engineers, Stella Ezechwuku Dennis, said the organisation is partnering with Cizotic, a World Bank assisted program in training 400 youths to develop digital skills.
“Right now, we are partnering with another organisation called Cizotic, we are training 400 youths, it’s a world bank assisted program where we move 400 youths to develop digital skill.
“So basically we’re not working with students and we’re working with other older people,” she added.
Dennis further emphasised the need for the government to ensure that ICT equipment are ready for children to be able to work.
She said, “Most of the time some of the
provision is from outside the country. The truth is that a country can only get better when the government decides to ensure that they provide basic amenities.
“Nobody can love you more than yourself that is what I keep saying, so it is our government that has to be more involved in ensuring that we get the equipment ready for the children to be able to work.”
The Head Girl of Junior Secondary School ,
Aliyawuchiya Sylvia said the training has exposed her to digital innovation.
“I have gained a lot of things because I started the program on the 25th of April 2024.They taught us how to use ICT gadget, and how to create apps.I hope to be an ICT expert in the near future.”
