Girls and science: a training module on motivating girls to embark on science and technology careers

The module aims to address the inherent gender disparities in the field of science and technology, with a specific focus on Africa. The under-representation and under-achievement of girls in science and technology subjects can be seen as a serious inefficiency in educational systems in countries whose development depends crucially on the generation of human technological capacity. This is the case in most African countries. If only more girls could be persuaded to take up science and technology subjects in schools, and could be persuaded to do better in them, the countries, so the argument goes, would have the benefit of an increased technological output with few extra inputs.
The module further aims to:

promote a positive image of women in scientific and technological careers
sensitize parents, educators, school administrative staff, curriculum
developers and trainers to counter gender stereotypes within the field
improve access of girls to scientific and technological education by providing clear ideas of career opportunities
provide teachers with the necessary career guidance tools to meet the needs of female learners seeking careers in science and technology


The module is presented in a number of units as follows:

Unit 1: introduction outlining the situation of women in science, the cultural and societal attitudes to and obstacles facing women in science, and advocating for more girls to study science
Unit 2: training and supporting teachers in their attempts to encourage and instill confidence in girls studying science
Unit 3: providing career guidance teachers with an understanding of the issues and with mechanisms for addressing them
Unit 4: providing guidance on how to develop and manage specific career guidance activities in a manner directed towards supporting girls opting for careers in the science and technology sectors
Unit 5: advising science and maths teachers on mechanisms for making their subjects more accessible and attractive to girls
Unit 6: informing teacher trainers on how to integrate the issues into the construction and implementation of their programmes.