Getting young girls to code

In technology and related fields of science, engineering and math (STEM), the percentage of female engineers and scientists is quite low. In fact, in India, only 18% of the students in STEM and engineering courses are women. 

In an effort to get more women into the tech industry, the five-day ‘Girls in Tech’ programme taught girls between 9 and 13 years to code. According to Guru Bhat, General Manager, Technology – Chennai, PayPal, this was an exercise to bring more women technologists to the forefront. 

“This programme is aimed at nurturing a sense of passion and craftsmanship in future talents, with a focus on inspiring tomorrow’s women in technology right from an early stage. The workshop focuses on providing hands-on experience and understanding of technology to get young girls interested in STEM education.” 

Young Nayantara Keswani, a participant, said that she didn’t realise coding could be so much fun. “On the first day of the workshop, I didn’t know anything. Now, I’m so much more confident. We were taught a programme called Scratch and learnt to make many animations like birthday cakes, animals and other such stuff. It was fun! Apart from this, we also had other fun sessions like photography, public speaking and self-defence,” she gushed. 

Instructor Ravi Srinivasan said that the focus was also to ensure the young participants enjoyed working in the tech arena. “We wanted to encourage young girls to learn the basics of coding and generate interest in technology. I introduce them to coding in fun, artistic ways to help them understand that technology is full of surprises,” he concluded.