Gov’t moves to increase girl coders
TWENTY-FIVE female students, aged 11 to 15 years, are being trained to become coders as part of the Government’s thrust to increase skills in information technology for national development, and boost the number of women in the male-dominated field.
Coding — the process of writing specific instructions for a computer to perform a particular task or action — is what makes it possible for people to create computer software, apps and websites.
The girls, who are drawn from 10 schools across the Corporate Area, are participating in a series of workshops, where they are being taught coding techniques.
At two workshops held on November 15 and 22, they learnt coding to create e-cards and other simple e-projects.
Minister of State in the Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining Julian Robinson told JIS News that the workshops are a follow-up to a month-long project held over the summer.
“… So these workshops are to keep them interested and to expose them to new techniques in coding and hopefully, over time, they can develop clubs and ultimately to get more young ladies coding,” he said.
The state minister said the long-term goal is to create a large pool of female coders.
“What we want them to do is become ambassadors for the programme… and hopefully they will become the coders of tomorrow,” he said.
Melanie Subratie, deputy chairman of the Musson Foundation, which sponsored the workshops, said the foundation was glad to offer its support after it was approached by Jampro.
She said the students from 10 schools are participating in the training and the plan is to set up coding clubs in schools, where other girls will learn the skill.
“When these girls are in charge of their own coding clubs, we are hoping that these 10… will mushroom into 250 girls coding. So we’re looking forward to competitions, curricula, and for it to last long and be successful in the schools that it rolls out in,” she said.
Marvin Hall, founder of Halls of Learning, which carried out the training, said the workshops are a “good first step” in closing the gap of female coders.
“The level where they can now write a programme or develop an application that does something, that’s the level we want to get them to. Coding is what gives you command over the computer,” he said.
Grade seven student at Dunoon Park Technical High school, Aleeka Sherrington, said she has learnt a lot about coding from the workshops and cannot wait to learn more.
“You can produce your own games and create your own movie. We have already formed a club at my school and we are now ready to start going through all the processes,” she said.
Aleeka’s elder sister, Nakeisha Rhoden, who said she “begged” the organisers to allow her to participate after accompanying her sister to one of the classes, said “the whole programme is very interesting as it shows you how to develop from scratch movies, cards and other things. Without this programme an object on the computer can’t move unless you give it a command; it is so precise,” she noted.
Another participant, Diamond Brown, a grade seven student at the Merle Grove High School, said the experience was not only fun but also provides an opportunity to learn something new and express her creativity.
