To Educate a Girl Is to Educate a Nation
By Tiyiso Mbeleji, Zimbabwe
To educate a girl is to educate a nation. Girls should be encouraged to get into STEM, either by schools, parents, families or policy makers.
STEM refers to the four disciplines: science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. In schools, girls should be encouraged to be more involved in STEM subjects such as biology, chemistry, physics, computer science, civil engineering, chemical engineering, astronomy, and others.
Schools help girls who are interested in science to get more exposure to the world of science by showing them how they can interact with these subjects in everyday life. It is also important for schools to embrace technology in every way possible by letting girls conduct their own research about STEM education. Another way of encouraging girls to explore STEM is connecting them to a mentor — this can help empower girls to pursue a degree in STEM since mentorship can help overcome self doubt, which many girls experience in high school.
Families and parents can also be of great help when it comes to the success and ambitions of their children. They should give girls the light and vision to see the key skills which STEM students develop in their learning fields, such as teamwork, creativity, problem solving, independent thinking, and so on. The four STEM fields emphasize innovation and critical thinking, which brings better outcomes, improves personal growth, increases job satisfaction, and promotes effective communication. Families and parents should stop the practices that affect children’s learning, such as early betrothal. Children need support and counsel from their guardians to improve their confidence and know-how.
Policy makers should extend learning opportunities to girls by ensuring that they are offered equal opportunities to boys. Girls should be encouraged to follow their dreams and professional socialization should be promoted through mentoring and precepting.
There are also societal factors to be considered. Girls have the same level of ability in mathematics and science as boys, therefore they should not be discouraged from pursuing these fields. Every girl child should be boosted to challenge her own internal bias about women working in STEM. Gender stereotypes should be avoided, as the painting of women as weak can affect girls’ classroom experience, subject choice, and academic performance. It also lowers their sense of competence and prevents females from fulfilling their full potential, which results in fewer girls in STEM fields.
Inclusion of girls in the field of STEM expands innovation to half of the population and it helps in better representation of the needs of the society. Supporting girls in their STEM education helps to build their confidence in themselves and their skills. Self-confidence and self-awareness are the first steps to academic success, and therefore STEM education should be made a friendly place for girls to grow their confidence. Once girls are confident that they belong in a STEM field of study, they will be more comfortable with computers and technology.
In conclusion, l believe that girls should be encouraged from all corners to enter STEM fields by providing them with a better understanding of career options. Female role models who are prospering in STEM disciplines such as technology, engineering, and mathematics should come forward and visit schools, motivating and inspiring girls to pursue those fields.
