The Minister of Post and Telecommunications Cllr. Cooper Kruah has assured Liberian girls in the field of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in working with the administration of the University of Liberia to establish a degree program in computer science at the University.
He made the disclosure over the weekend in Tubmanburg, Bomi County at the program making the celebration of girls in ICT.
Minister Kruah discloses that the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications has written the ICT policy that schools across Liberia should be in readiness to consider ICT curriculum in their programs.He indicates that gender disparity around the world remains a major concern to the United Nations.
According to him, the United Nations has highlight this concern in many documents including, the famous Millennium Development Goal, where education is emphasized as a tool for eliminating the gender disparity.
Minister Kruah narrates that it is reported that over 357, 000 girls and young women have already taken part in [about] 11,100 celebrations of international girls in ICT Days in 171 countries worldwide.
He continues that the program was taken to Bomi in line with his plan of taking ICT Day celebrations outside Monrovia in recognition of the importance of women and girls in other counties here.
According to him, support is needed for the programs being offered because several girls that were trained in ICT have become professional people in computer operation.
“With your help, this county can be ICT based society in Liberia,” Minister Kruah notes.
For her part, Bomi County Hub Project Manager HawaFlomo discloses that recent research shows that girls are five times less likely than boys to consider a career related to technology.
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In Europe’s fast-growing ICT sector, she adds that girls are less than 30% of workers and only 19% of entrepreneurs are women.
“Preparing girls for a career in ICT is not only a matter of gender equality, but also an urgent development imperative,” she continues.
According to Madam Flomo, ICT empowers women and girls through increasing their access to health, banking services, education and helping to facilitate political participation.
Meanwhile, Madam Flom says more than 300 computers and other equipment are needed to run an easy access computer program for students in Bomi County.
The program brought together Ministers, Directors, marketers, ICT organizations, county authorities and students from both Monrovia and Bomi Counties.By Ben P. Wesee–Edited by Winston W. Parley
