Women in ICT education

Dr Md Mahmudul Hassan :
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and STEAM education are also necessary for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) declared by the United Nations. In SDG, female education is emphasized to improve quality education, which can only be possible with ICT and STEAM based education. Through ICT and STEAM education, women are not only able to improve their socio-economic conditions and make better decisions about their health and future, but also society as a whole improves through greater presence of women. Women empowerment is very important for the development, progress and prosperity of the country.
In Bangladesh, there has been some improvement in female education at the primary and secondary levels, but their progress in higher education is much less. According to a recent report of BBS, “At present, the men of the country are ahead of the women in the literacy rate. Currently, the literacy rate of men is 76.56 percent, but the literacy rate of women is 72.82 percent. According to the data of Census-2022, women are ahead in the ratio of men-women. However, although women are ahead in population proportional rate, they are far behind in education rate. Their position is more fragile in ICT education. In a discussion on ‘Inclusion of Women in Smart Bangladesh’ recently organized on the occasion of ‘Basis Soft-Expo’ celebration, researchers said, “Compared to men in rural and urban areas, women still lag behind in higher education. Currently 30 percent of women study ICT only. About 12 percent of women are ICT professionals in the country. Women have many roles in building Smart Bangladesh. Schools, colleges, universities should provide more opportunities for women to study IT so that they can study it.”
Women should come forward in IT learning to bring female education to an ideal position in Bangladesh and build a smart Bangladesh. A survey found, “Majority of the population in Bangladesh works as unskilled or semi-skilled laborers, both men and women, in the unorganized sector. Many women who work on a daily basis are even exploited due to their lack of knowledge and skills.” IT education helps give women the confidence to fight for proper jobs and their economic rights. They become contributors to the family income which gives them the power to voice their opinions.
ICT based education can truly open the eyes of women. It exposes them to different disciplines and empowers them with the knowledge to be a change-maker. ICT education teaches a woman to claim her due rights as per the constitution of the country. It helps her overcome her own emotional pain and teaches her to resist superstitions and dogmatic beliefs. This education helps women realize that they are equal to men in proving their worth and skills.
The age of internet and e-commerce has the potential to create opportunities for rural women, as never before. The proliferation of digital technology, especially through smart phones, has begun to provide numerous opportunities for rural women to pave the way for financial independence in setting up their own e-commerce and unique businesses, ultimately helping to empower them. Mobile and ICT education have ensured that women can more easily balance their careers with their homes while staying at home.
ICT encompasses a complex set of products, applications and services used to produce, process, distribute and transform information. New technologies have huge potential to empower, reduce poverty, improve governance, and overcome isolation. There is growing evidence of the benefits of ICTs for women’s lives, particularly in four different areas: education, health, politics and the economy.
ICT has great potential to facilitate global, regional and national health initiatives for women. In developing countries, health promoters have used technological devices to disseminate health information, including sexual and reproductive rights. ICT has the potential to deliver locally adapted health information to women through community access points.
The importance of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) education has increased recently in Bangladesh. Proficiency in STEAM subjects increases the workforce of women in scientific fields. The main goal of STEAM education is to create a skilled workforce for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and the 21st century. The development of technology has advanced human civilization. STEAM education has boosted human creativity manifold.
STEAM education has reduced the so-called traditional rote memorization of textbooks. The government takes various initiatives to create interest in STEAM education for women. The Bangladesh government allows women to be represented in jobs such as information and communication technology (ICT). Educated in STEAM and technology education, the women of Bangladesh will one day be established as leaders of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).
In this era of the 4IR, the work scope of men and women is very wide and since there is no specific skill differentiation in technical education, both men and women can equally acquire their work skills and establish themselves as more professionals.
We need to ensure the empowerment of women in cities, ports and villages by providing them with all ICT and STEAM related facilities to advance technology based education. Besides, to meet the challenges of women’s education, they should be made skilled and competent in ICT as well as STEAM and create free opportunities to provide services nationally and internationally. It is our hope that today’s women will be the worthy nurturers of tomorrow’s power.

(The writer is Principal, Daffodil International School, Dhaka).