Palak intend to introduce special quota for women in IT sector
Only 1 percent women are engaged in the engineering sector now in Bangladesh. In order to increase this number, STEM business case review program was held at Dhaka Aamari in Gulshan on Wednesday to introduce STEM education for women. The event featured a panel discussion on how universities and development partners can increase workforce participation through STEM education in STEM industry-academia collaboration and public-private partnerships to achieve national growth and zero digital divide.
In the morning, Light Castle Partners CEO Bijan Islam gave a welcome speech at the She-STEM Business Case Lunch in collaboration with the Dutch government. A2I Project Director Mamunur Rashid Bhuiyan and Netherlands Ambassador to Bangladesh Erna van Durein were present as special guests.
While speaking as the chief guest, State Minister for Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak announced the introduction of special quota for women in every initiative in information technology sector.
The ICT Division has already taken several initiatives to improve the skills of women STEM graduates and eliminate gender disparity. Recently we have decided to set up Sheikh Hasina Institute of Frontier Technology where training will be given on frontier technology. Here I want, there will have a specific quota for women. At the same time a single quota will be kept for girls in each scheme so that they can easily enter the sector and unleash their immense potential.
He also said that 50 years ago, Bangabandhu realized that peace and prosperity are not possible if there is no equality between men and women in science and technology around the world. In line with that philosophy, over the past 15 years, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has taken bold steps to include women as entrepreneurs in the Union Digital Centre. As a result, equality of men and women entrepreneurs has been created in this project from the village to abroad. Having visited 22 districts in the last three months, I realized that our women entrepreneurs have improved individual, familial, economic and social status. Gained excellence in technology knowledge and skills with training from ICT department. Now we will start working on science and technology-based skill development under Smart Employment Program. Going to set up frontier technology research labs in different universities. I think, now the future generation needs to be trained in things like AI, quantum computing and block chain.
A2I Project Director Mamunur Rashid Bhuiyan commented that STEM will play a great role in gender equality by breaking barriers and exploiting opportunities. On the other hand, the ambassador of the Netherlands, Irna van Durain, said that careers have no gender. Bangladesh is doing well with STEM. We stand by the Bangladesh government to include women in this education system across the country.
