April 22nd: International Girls in ICT Day

In the context of the International Girls in ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) Day, Ceibal Foundation reaffirms its commitment to gender equality by working to promote opportunities and encourage equitable participation in areas related to science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). Through the ADELA (Alliance for the Digitalisation of Education in Latin America) network funded by Canada’s IDRC, the Foundation is implementing an initiative to analyse the impact of COVID-19 on digital education and STEM with a gender perspective, and develop tools to reduce existing gaps. This project is being carried out with the technical assistance of CoreWoman, an innovation laboratory for the empowerment of women.

As part of this effort, the webinar Género y COVID en Educación Digital y STEM: Recursos para abordar las brechas de género en América Latina (Gender and COVID in Digital Education and STEM: Resources to address gender gaps in Latin America) will be held on Thursday, April 22nd. Organised by Ceibal Foundation through ADELA with the participation of CoreWoman, this activity will bring together policy makers, technical teams and organisations from the region, and will present recommendations on addressing the barriers facing girls and female adolescents trying to access and make intensive use of ICT resources, and stimulate their interest in STEM disciplines.

ICT access and use has facilitated responses from Latin American governments to ensure the continuity of education during the health emergency caused by COVID-19. Before the outbreak of the pandemic, evidence showed that girls and female adolescents were less skilled in the use of digital resources in the classroom, and were more likely to experience the effects of social standards based on gender stereotypes in STEM disciplines. This background suggests that girls and female adolescents in Latin America may have been facing greater vulnerability in distance learning based on digital technologies during the pandemic. However, the shortage of records and indicators with a gender focus makes it impossible to accurately quantify the extent of the effects of COVID-19 on ICT access and use in education and STEM disciplines.

This webinar will contribute to a more in-depth discussion of these issues and will provide resources and best practices for a suitable way to address gender gaps in education systems.

Thursday, April 22nd – 14 hours (GMT-3)
Webinar: Género y COVID en Educación Digital y STEM: Recursos para abordar las brechas de género en América Latina (Gender and COVID in Digital Education and STEM: Resources to Address Gender Gaps in Latin America)
Link to the meeting: https://bit.ly/3uzY3x6

Note:
International Girls in ICT Day is celebrated every year on the fourth Thursday of April. The date was established in 2010 by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the United Nations specialised agency responsible for telecommunications. The objective of this day is to create a global environment that will empower and encourage girls and young women to consider pursuing studies and careers in the field of information and communication technologies.