AIMS Ghana reduces inequalities between men and women with the Women in STEM initiative

General News of Tuesday, April 16, 2019

Source: ghananewsagency.org

2019-04-16

The African Institute for the Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) of Ghana has reiterated its commitment to make strong public commitments to combat gender stereotypes in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

According to Beauty Beatrice Kwawu, Head of Gender Focal Points at AIMS, every effort was made to recognize the crucial role of women in STEM to encourage more women to participate.

As a result, she said that AIMS had launched an initiative called "Women in STEM" (WIS) to promote a holistic approach to gender equality in STEM by engaging men and boys and encouraging African girls and women to continue their studies and careers in the mathematical sciences.

Ms. Kwawu reported in an interview with the Ghana News Agency.
She stated that AIMS is committed to ensuring that more than 30% of its students are women and that future leaders in math and science have the support and opportunities they need to move forward.

The theme of the event was "Promoting Gender Balance in STEM" in line with the theme of the global campaign "Improving Balance, Improving the World".

According to her, women remained underrepresented among STEM graduates and represented only 16% of the world.

She noted that often stereotypes about girls and STEM prevented girls from choosing STEM subjects in schools and pursuing careers in them.

Ms. Kwawu said the AIMS program was dedicated to accelerating African women's progress in STEM through advocacy and the adoption of best practices, among other things, to change the discourse through through its Women in STEM initiative.

Mr. Kofi Asuman, Chief Operating Officer of AIMS Ghana, called on all stakeholders to play their respective roles on the global agenda, ensuring balance in STEM while encouraging girls to aspire higher and higher. choosing courses and careers in STEM to contribute to the transformation of the sector. Africa.

He said AIMS had trained many women in recent years to make a tremendous contribution to solving the problems of different sectors of local and regional economies in Africa.

Some women who had excelled in STEM, the majority of AIMS, took turns sharing their experiences and presented the link between mathematics education and Africa's transformation agenda.

They talked about the different possibilities that women had to venture into STEM and encouraged girls to develop their interest and confidence to succeed in STEM programs.

The event offered girls the opportunity to listen to female role models and was inspired to pursue courses in STEM as a new generation of women.

Some of the students participating in an interview with the NLG expressed their gratitude to AIMS and indicated that their confidence in pursuing STEM programs and careers had been strengthened.