By DESMOND EJIBAS

No fewer than 50 female secondary school students developed technology-based solutions in Artificial Intelligence (AI), data analysis, machine learning during a five-day training programme in Port Harcourt.

The Project Team Lead, Tech Girls Club, South South Zone, Dr Martha Musa, disclosed this at the closing ceremony of the Girls Tech Boot Camp on Saturday.

The programme, designed for female secondary school students in the South South zone, is sponsored by NeurIPS Foundation and organised by Girls Techies Humanitarian Initiative.

She said the participants developed the solutions after receiving training in AI, data analysis, data science, Python programming and machine learning.

Musa, also Head of the Department of Computer Science, University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), said the outcome of the training demonstrated that girls could excel in technology when given the right opportunities and support.

“Our aim was to encourage girls to know that technology is not just for males and that, given the opportunity, they can actually do better,” she said.

She said the schoolgirls were grouped into teams made up of students from different schools to develop technology-based projects under the guidance of instructors.

Musa said the girls exceeded expectations after the intensive training, experimenting with codes and programming syntaxes beyond the curriculum.

“They independently experimented with codes and syntaxes, gathered and analysed data, developed solutions, made predictions and drew inferences beyond what they were taught.

“At the end, the girls developed health-based solutions, environmental waste management and pocket-money management systems, all within one week,” she said.

Musa said the students also developed library management systems and other solutions using data collected and analysed during the training.

She said the outcome demonstrated the need to create more opportunities for girls to pursue careers in technology-related fields.

Musa said the organisers would work with the participants’ schools to mentor the students and sustain their interest in IT.

“This is just a start-up, and we need funds. A lot of resources have gone into this programme, and we need more funding to sustain and expand it,” she appealed.

Ms Precious Ndem-Orji (middle), winner of the Girls Tech Boot Camp for female secondary school students in the South South, flanked by the runners-up at the conclusion of the programme on Saturday in Port Harcourt

Speaking, Dr Lord Ochie, an Associate Professor of Computer Science at UNIPORT, urged the government to introduce special interventions to increase girls’ participation in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields.

Ochei, who presented a lecture titled, “Your Future in Computing”, said computing had become central to virtually every area of human endeavour, creating numerous opportunities for young women.

He said traditional and conservative mindsets remained among the major barriers limiting girls’ participation in science and technology.

According to him, women in Nigeria are already using technology to transform businesses and create impact in areas including agriculture, healthcare and financial technology.

“I genuinely believe there is nothing a female cannot study or achieve. Once we address the traditional belief that a woman’s place is in the kitchen, we can push our girls forward,” he said.

Ochei urged stakeholders to challenge societal beliefs that discourage girls from pursuing STEM careers, while calling for deliberate government intervention to address the imbalance and create more opportunities for female participation.

He suggested that government could introduce female-only admission quotas for selected STEM programmes to encourage more girls to enter the fields.

“Targeted awards, scholarships and funding will help disadvantaged female students overcome barriers to pursuing STEM education,” he said.

One of the beneficiaries, Precious Ndem-Orji of Royal Girls Academy, commended the organisers for the opportunity to participate in the programme.

Ndem-Orji, who emerged overall best in the training, said the experience had strengthened her interest in IT, although she was still exploring other career paths.

“I feel very empowered and lucky to have been part of this programme. I am grateful that I was able to do my best and excel,” she said. (NAN)

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