Brainiacs STEM pushes girl-child education

Brainiacs STEAM and Robotics is taking the lead in the training of the girl-child in STEAM as an integral skill for the jobs of the future.

The group is taking up this responsibility in partnership with the Association of Professional Women Engineers (APWEN) and Gearhub through its “Girls in STEAM education Bootcamp”.

The aim is to close the gender gap in STEAM education. STEAM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics.

The Bootcamp which held in Kano city, Nigeria was aimed at introducing the young girls to different modules of STEAM education that would spark their interest to choose STEAM education in securing their future in a fast-paced evolving world.

Read Also: Five students from Nigeria set for 2021 Global Robotics Olympics

The event was attended physically and virtually by technology stakeholders, parents, and students.

Musa Mohammed, founder of Brainiacs STEAM & Robotics, said it would continue to champion STEAM education for girl-child through its innovative projects in education from coding, robotics, game design, animation, virtual reality, and more in Nigeria and beyond.

He reiterated that its mandate is to close existing gaps and ensure the learning experience can provide the innovative mindset required in the 21st-century work environment.

Najeeb Yunusa Hassan, founder of Gearhub, highlighting the importance of STEAM education, teamwork, and inclusion of the girl-child in STEAM learning, stated that Gearhub and Brainiacs STEAM & Robotics were looking forward to working with the parents of the girls.

The first presentation of the project was done by girls who showcased all they had learned in the course of the week. The first batch included the sustainable city model showing how broad their imaginative spectrum is.

The second project was the Permaculture farm the girls were taught, about the importance of recycling materials and using the materials to create compost for their farms.

Another phase of the Bootcamp was the girl’s demonstration on Arduino, practically showing how it works, and what they did using the Arduino.

Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, the director-general of NITDA encouraged the girls about the importance of the STEAM journey they have embarked on, and not to lose the fire.

He recalled stories of his childhood, and what he wanted to become growing up until he found himself involved in science and engineering, and that has been his source of livelihood and fulfillment.

Ilham Haddadi, a national geographic certified educator, teach SDGs ambassador, Morocco, and British Council ISA ambassador while presenting on “STEAM education for all to achieve SDGs 2030.

Ilham stressed that STEAM education “is here to stay” and would help achieve quality education in the country, continent, and the world at large, while also, encouraging parents, instructors, stakeholders, and guests to be actively involved.

Mohammed Dauda, director, Centre for Entrepreneurship & Enterprise Development (CEED), University of Maiduguri urged the organisers not to relent, as this is the beginning of bigger events covering a wider area while commending the ingenuity and enthusiasm of the girls.