The Edo State Government has assured on more policies to encourage mainstreaming of women and girls in science and technology programmes in the state.
Commemorating the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, Commissioner for Science and Technology, Hon. Emmanuel Agbale, said the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration is determined to bridge the gender gap in science and technology by putting in place policies and programmes that will promote the inclusion of the girl-child in science and provide more empowerment for them.
He said the 2020 theme of the celebration, ‘Investment in Women and Girls in Science for Inclusive Green Growth,’ is in line with the state government’s commitment to motivate and stimulate women and girls’ interest in all fields of sciences to accelerate sustainable development of the state.
“We shall pursue vigorously the study of ‘STEM’ (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) by our women and girls. This education starts with young pupils in a learning environment and with a robust curriculum that underlines the essence of the studies and applied to attract women and girls. This shall be done by tackling long-standing biases and gender stereotypes affecting girls and women and dissuading them from science-related fields,” he noted.
Agbale added that state government recognizes the important role played by science and technology in development and has deployed technology to teaching at the basic education level courtesy of the Edo Basic Education Transformation (Edo-BEST) programme, noting, “This has significantly improved teaching and learning outcomes at that level.
“The Governor Obaseki-led administration has recorded impressive gains in the fight against human trafficking. Human trafficking is a crime that exploits particularly women and children. The governor has put structures in place to check the activities of human traffickers and make the state conducive for youths to constructively contribute to development. These are evident with the uptake of activities at the Edo Innovation Hub, the Edo Production Centre and the influx of businesses to the state in recent months.
“As a government, we shall prioritize the role of women and girls in science for improving green and inclusive economic policy framework. We will also promote innovative green investment in women and girls in science through public-private partnerships. Our objective as that of the UN Assembly shall be to address the issue of Gender Inequality and ensure the participation of Women and Girls in Science for SDG2 and SDG6,” he added.
