DEPARTMENT
OF PHYSICS, BAYERO UNIVERSITY, KANO
(Active Citizens’
Facilitator 2014-2015. British Council, Nigeria)
The
Science, Technology, engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields are today
attracting increased attention because of the role of the STEM field in our
world today. The technological advancement that has seen our world turned in to
a global village, where we can communicate, travel, interact at various levels
within short time lapses, cannot be sustained without training and advancement
in the STEM fields.
Challenges,
however, exists in getting girls to study the STEM fields. Why is it important
to get more girls in to STEM? As I have always stated, the benefits derived
from the advancement that is achieved through Science, Technology, Engineering
and Mathematics is not limited to one gender. Scientific solutions to problems
that bedevil the world in medicine, in the impacts of technology and in healthcare,
in engineering that makes household chores easier to name a few, require inputs
from both men and women (boys and girls). More women (girls) in science will
mean that the solutions that science provides are not just tailored to the
needs of a single gender.
How
then do we get more girls to study the STEM fields and go on to pursue a career
in science? It is possible to get more
girls in STEM and we are slowly getting there through a mix of Lecture tours,
outreach programs, mentorship and role modeling. There are however, constraints
associated with girls pursuing a study in these fields in Nigeria in general
and in northern Nigeria in particular. The road to the pursuit of an academic
degree in STEM is lined with obstacles that the young girls will have to
overcome. I use northern Nigeria as a case study in illustrating the challenges
young girls may have to contend with:
Duration
of an academic degree in STEM
The
STEM fields have an average duration of 4-5 years. A young girl is likely to
start her first degree at the age of 16 years by the National University
Commission (NUC) regulations. She is therefore likely to complete her course of
study at the age of 20-21 years on the average. In many northern Nigerian
homes, young girls are preferred to be married off by the age of 18 years, so a
young girl may face the pressure of having to get married while still studying.
Some young girls will avoid this pressure by choosing a shorter duration course
in the arts or social sciences. In my talks to young girls, I urge them to dig
in there and complete the first degree before marriage if possible. We are looking in to ways to get parents to
key in to this idea.
Peer
Group Pressure/Fashionable
In
the event that it is not the parents preference that the girls marry before
completing their studies, the young girls still have to contend with peer-group
preference. Seeing her peers are getting married after secondary school or
during the undergraduate years, puts a pressure on her to also want same.
Believe me, I know this; I have a daughter in her first year of study in one of
the STEM fields and I watch her attending her secondary school mates’ weddings
and baby showers. I have to give extra pep talk to let her know that it is
worth the wait to complete her first degree, that she will need extra strength
to sustain her grades if she gets married now.
Then
again, as I continually point out to young girls that I speak to at outreach
programs to encourage girls to study the STEM fields, there is the unavoidable
natural process that a young girl falls in love with someone who does not share
her dream of pursuing further studies or who prefers another less rigorous
course of study. In the light of this, getting more girls in STEM and pursuing
a career in STEM will require some other strategies.
In
days gone by, girls studying STEM fields had to portray their seriousness in a
male-dominated field by not using make-up, not wear fashionable clothes or look
feminine. This was a put off for girls who wanted to be fashionable, so they
went in to ‘more fashionable’ courses. We are currently addressing this by
showcasing young girls in STEM who sing, dance, write and read poems and watch
fashion channels. The theme chant of the 2015 Visiola Foundation STEM Summer
Camp is: STEM GIRLS ROCK!
Mentoring
This
requires supporting the young girls, providing them with opportunities to
showcase their ability. The mentoring process for young girls is gaining ground
and many organizations now organize summer camps for young girls.
Role Models
Showcasing
role models to young girls has a powerful inspiring message. It is not enough
to tell girls that they can do it or that they have the ability. They will need
to see and speak to someone who has done it, been there.
When
I tell young girls my story of how I returned to the university ten years after
secondary school and already married with three young children and despite all
odds, it is easier to tell them; “If I can do it, then you can”. This message
resonates with them.
The
Visiola Foundation also uses the power of role models. During the 2015 Summer
Camp, role models such as Design Engineer Yewande Akinola, others and my humble
self were brought in to speak to the girls.
Scholarships and Funding Opportunities
To
bring in more girls in STEM, it is important to provide opportunities for them
to access funds that will enable them to pursue their desired course of study.
Courses in STEM fields (Science: medicine, allied health sciences, biomedical
sciences, biotechnology, physics, Technology: computer science, software, IT.
Engineering, Mathematics) are expensive. If young girls are to learn well and
excel, they require commensurate funding. As I told an interviewer who asked
what could have made my struggle easier if I had known about it? I had answered
that I wished I had known about funding opportunities and scholarships; that I
would have made better grades than I did. The constant search for how to make
ends meet took its toll and made concentrating solely on my studies difficult.
Awards, Recognition and fellowships
I
tell young girls about opportunities they can have for awards, recognition and
fellowships. Organizations such as The World Academy of Science (TWAS),
Organization for Women in Science in the Developing World (OWSD), L’oreal for
Women in Science, The Elsevier Foundation among others all have awards,
recognition and fellowships specifically for girls and women. I won the
Elsevier award in 2015 for the Physics and Mathematics category. If young girls
know that they will be recognized and celebrated for their hard work, they will
be more willing to put in the required hard work to study and remain and even
pursue a career in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
Concluding word
These
few lines on how to get more girls in STEM are by no means exhaustive. The
inputs from the young girls on what will motivate them more needs to be sought.
This could be done by organizing an interactive program of career development
for young girls in STEM. I would suggest a workshop setting or a retreat- type
interactive meeting with young girls.
Kano, Nigeria.
09 September, 2015
10.00 am
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