from NJABULO BUTHELEZI in Durban
KwaZulu Natal Correspondent
DURBAN, (CAJ News) – A PARTNERSHIP between Lenovo South Africa and the Durban University of Technology (DUT) will prepare young female learners for the fourth industrial revolution (4IR).
The Robogirl 2022 programme will see over 120 girls from 15 schools in grades 10 and 11 from the eThekwini area – particularly from historically disadvantaged communities – being exposed to the concepts of coding and robotics.
This is part of efforts to bridge the gap in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) field.
Yugen Naidoo, General Manager, Lenovo Southern Africa, said globally, men continue to outnumber women in STEM particularly technical fields such as engineering and computer science.
“Lenovo is extremely passionate about upskilling women and female learners in the technology arena and helping to bridge this gender gap,” Naidoo said.
The official added, “We believe the most innovative solutions can’t be created without diverse perspectives, and therefore we are investing in such programmes.”
Lenovo is also a bursary sponsor at DUT for IT related courses.
Ebrahim Asmal, DUT Senior Lecturer in the Department of Information Technology and programme coordinator, also lamented gender disparity in the STEM workforce as well as at higher education.
“Decreasing the gender disparity in STEM fields will provide more opportunity for women to generate fair income, as well as encourage professional and productive environments for women,” Asmal said.
The programme will culminate in a competition between schools, which will allow the various teams to witness their peers’ innovation and different approaches to the same challenge.
– CAJ News