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EDWIN NAIDU
RENOWNED scientist Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, the former first woman President of Mauritius and current first ambassador for the SIDS at the World Diplomatic Academy, delivered a powerful message supporting the International Day of Women and Girls in Science at the weekend.
“I’ll mention that 52% of any country’s population are women, and if we exclude this powerhouse, which this population represents, I think we’re all heading towards failure.”
Gurib-Fakim sent a short message to the girls studying at Mont Lubin in Rodrigues, Mauritius, on Saturday, telling them that science was close to her heart.
Her message was supporting the United Nations International Day of Women and Girls in Science to promote full and equal access and participation for women and girls in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields.
Annually, 11 February celebrates the essential role that women and girls play in science and technology.
And why science matters?
“I’ll give you a statistic, which I’ve read which is quite mind-boggling, 85% of the jobs that will be in
exercise in 2030. These jobs have not yet been invented. And many of these jobs will be within the
science and technology realm. So, bringing women on board, looking at their intuition, and looking at
their talent will give a new perspective.”
“Now science, as you know, is at the basis of everything science at the business of life. And if you look at sectors where science can impact, let’s start with agriculture…I can safely say that women feed Africa.”
“Women are very involved in the agricultural sector but remain underdeveloped because most women who practice in this sector are not empowered. Now, imagine the impact of empowerment of these women in this sector if they have the tools of science and the mechanism of technology in this area with her culture. She will earn more, she’ll feed her family better, and she’ll be better educated. She can become that famous entrepreneur that we are all thinking about.
Now the other sector is the other word. Instead, it is the word of empowerment. Why do we need to have women empowered?”
“Because the decisions made when women are at the table, these decisions make the family work better. They make the community perform better. They make society operate at a different level and the country fares. So that’s why I say to these women if you find that there is not a chair for you at that decision-making table, bring your chair.”
“The other thing I must say to girls is that you must live your dream. It would be best if you made whatever you do become your passion. Because when you’re passionate about something, you can rest assured that you do it well. You will enjoy it. Confucius said, “if you make your work become your passion, you will not have to work a single day in your life”.
“The other issue I would like to touch on very quickly is gender equality. Gender Equality matters a lot in the world of work. We need to ensure that women are equally paid for what they do. Unfortunately, in many countries worldwide, this is still not a reality. Women are still underpaid. So let us all think on this 11th February how we can make society work better with the proper empowerment of our girls about women so that they become the drivers of change. And we knew that if we put our heads together, we could make It.”
INSIDE EDUCATION