KAFD DMC Joins Forces To Promote Stem Education For Girls And Women Through The Girls4tech

KAFD DMC Joins Forces To Promote Stem Education For Girls And Women Through The Girls4tech:

On International Women’s Day this year, the KAFD Development and Management Company, Mastercard, Misk Schools, UNESCO, and the UN Global Compact launched the Girls4Tech STEM education program for young girls in the Kingdom. The goal of the Girls4Tech program is to inspire young girls in Saudi Arabia and the rest of the region to be interested in employment opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math.

Girls4Tech: Fostering Girls In STEM

Digital innovation and technology for gender equality was the theme for this year’s International Women’s Day, held on March 8. The KAFD held a panel discussion on Wednesday to discuss how women and girls can contribute to economic growth and progress. Ibrahim Al-Hilali, executive director of the Saudi Arabia UN Global Compact network and the session’s moderator, said that the program focuses on making the digital economy more sustainable and open to everyone. This aligns with the goals of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those pertaining to education quality, gender equality, decent employment, and economic growth.

According to UN estimates, increasing the proportion of women in STEM fields will result in a nearly 25% increase in the world economy’s gross domestic product, or $28 trillion. CEO of KAFD DMC, Gautam Sashittal, stated that there is a big gap in this area that they need to fill. Sashittal went on to share that he will always work for an office culture that encourages diversity, inclusion, and equal chance. He also added that the fact that KAFD is one of the best smart districts in the world makes it possible for women to work in STEM fields. Sashittal finished by saying that people might be surprised by how many women engineers, not just architects, work in the construction business.

Al-Hilali said that UNESCO stated that less than one-third of women around the world work in scientific study and development. Mastercard’s vice president and country manager for Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, Maria Medvedeva, said that it is important to get girls engaged early on and point them toward other possibilities and careers. Medvedeva added that her male coworkers and bosses pushed her to take the lead and are now helping and encouraging people who want to make changes. She said that since she joined Mastercard four years ago, the ratio of women to men percentage has gone up to about 43%. She went on to say that structural problems are another problem that could make girls less likely to work in STEM fields.

By 2030, according to Dr. Steffen Sommer, director general of Misk Schools, Riyadh needs to have one of the top 10 city economies in the world, so it is important to have an inclusive workforce that includes both men and women. According to Salah Khaled, UNESCO’s ambassador to Yemen and the Gulf nations, the SDGs all place a high focus on the advancement of women in science and technology.

Takeaways

The Girls4Tech STEM education program is a significant effort to inspire and motivate young women in Saudi Arabia and the surrounding area to pursue jobs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. In addition to promoting the nation’s economic development and advancement, closing the gender gap in these professions would have a big impact on the world economy.

Last Updated on 1 year by News Editor