Information Technology (IT) Technician and Co-ordinator of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Guyana Project, Karen Abrams explained that the main mission behind the local Project is to ‘unlock the world class potential of Guyanese youth’.
“We understand clearly that if our young people are not prepared to contribute to a world driven by technology, they will simply be left behind. There is a sense of urgency today that is driving the same level of youth preparation activity throughout the entire developing world. We are adamant that Guyana will not be left behind,” Ms. Abrams announced.
Alluding to the collaboration behind the Project, the Coordinator explained to the Guyana Times Sunday Magazine, that the STEMGuyana programme has many stakeholders whose response has been overwhelmingly positive. She said too that, although the team has endured many challenges, the overall support received has “dwarfed” the obstacles.
“The Ministry of Public Telecommunications has supported our mission by loaning students laptops during our 2016 inaugural robotics camp, to donating to the cost of sending the Guyana team abroad to providing internet service to our clubhouse where we expose young people to robotics and coding. The MPT also recently co-sponsored our recent Training Seminar where we prepared 50 persons to be STEM coaches in their own communities,” she explained.
Ms. Abrams also lauded the efforts of the Ministry of Education for co-sponsoring the new Grade six practice test mobile app which STEMGuyana created. “We’re also working with the Education Ministry’s NCERD Science Department to rollout STEM competitive leagues nationally (robot building and programming and Scratch Programming)” she added.
While pointing to the benefits of the initiative, with regards to removing the barriers and encouraging women to work and study in STEM fields, Ms. Abrams said, “I can only speak to STEMGuyana’s work; we have seen excellent representation of female interest in our robot building programmes, our last year technology exhibition and in the recent training seminar for STEM club programmes”. She also expressed the hope more girls would participate in the leagues and try-out for the national robotics team.
Empowering young women and youths
Meanwhile, the STEMGuyana Coordinator emphasised that participating in STEM activities is important for young girls, as females make up fifty per cent of the population and the vast majority of future jobs will involve technology on some level. “If half of the population is not properly prepared to participate in the technology industry at all levels, then Guyana’s productivity and future development will be seriously handicapped,” she said, while pointing out that it would be “impossible to properly develop any nation with 50% of its brightest resources under-utilized, marginalized or socialized out of the development process”.
She said too that a primary focus is to encourage girls in STEM by getting rid of gender stereotypes and roles which are strong influences on the behaviors of both boys and girls in our society.
“Let us enroll our girls and our boys in STEM clubs, let us highlight and applaud girls who perform well in Math, Science and Technology arenas. Let us highlight the current work of women in STEM fields and make them role models. Let us protect girls against sexual and other assaults and make learning environments both in and outside of school safe for all students,” Ms. Abrams urged.
In addition to the many benefits of the programme, she noted too that it is especially important for children in historically underperforming schools to be given access to opportunities which could change the trajectory of their lives. She added that, while STEMGuyana is well aware that not all youth will be interested in technology, their goal is to ensure that for those who have the interest, the opportunities are available to them. “I am especially happy about the community internet hubs where young people can go to organise themselves into technology clubs, and use the resources available to learn, compete and prepare themselves for the future,” she stated.
Just last week, twelve teachers from Bartica, along with community stakeholders underwent a one-day training workshop in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) and Robotics, aimed at equipping them with technological skills, which would assist in providing modern solutions to the challenges of transitioning Bartica, Cuyuni-Mazaruni (Region Seven) to the first model ‘green’ town in Guyana and the Caribbean. The training was a collaborative effort between the Office of Climate Change (OCC), Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Public Telecommunications and STEM Guyana.
