SDG 4: Quality Education | SDG 5: Gender Equality | SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
Ministry of Education | Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) | Ministry of Science and Technology
UNESCO and Symbiosis Skills and Professional University (SSPU) recently collaborated to organize the “Jaago: Girls Leading STEM for Sustainable Futures” workshop in Pune, aimed at making Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) relevant to the daily lives and aspirations of young girls. The two-day event provided 60 girls from Classes 9 and 10 in government schools with hands-on training and mentorship across three critical themes: Robotics, Green Skills & AI, and Health & Well-Being. This initiative is a targeted intervention to address the significant gender gap in India’s STEM workforce, where women account for 43% of graduates but only 27% of the workforce.
Workshop Themes and Skill Development
Robotics & AI: Students were introduced to the fundamentals of robotics and the ethical leadership required in the field of Artificial Intelligence.
Green Skills: The sessions highlighted India’s green economy and sustainability, preparing students to become future engineers of the green transition.
Health & Well-Being: Practical skills in nutrition and healthcare were showcased as essential components of modern STEM careers.
Career Pathways: The workshop explored emerging fields such as Electric Vehicles (EVs), logistics, marketing, and advanced healthcare.
Incentivized Learning: Utilizing a credit-based model, students earned points for participation and teamwork that were exchangeable for UNESCO merchandise.
Strategic Partnerships and Institutional Support
UNESCO Chair: SSPU, Pune, was recently awarded the UNESCO Chair in Gender Inclusion and Skill Development, a role dedicated to addressing pressing societal challenges through education.
Mentorship Journey: Guided by experts, students were introduced to scholarship opportunities and support mechanisms to help them sustain their educational journey in STEM.
Advancing Gender Equality: These workshops serve as vital touchpoints to ensure girls remain engaged and see themselves as leaders in their own communities.
Policy Relevance
The initiative directly supports India’s national goals of gender parity in the workforce and the development of a high-skill talent pool for the “Viksit Bharat” vision.
Strategic Impact:
Bridging the ‘Graduate-to-Workforce’ Gap: By providing early mentorship (Class 9-10), the program addresses the leak in the pipeline where women graduates do not transition into the STEM workforce.
Aligning with NEP 2020: The focus on vocational skills and credit-based participation mirrors the National Education Policy’s emphasis on flexible, skill-based learning pathways.
Fostering a Green Talent Pool: Training in green skills and EVs prepares Indian youth for the labor demands of the national Net-Zero transition.
Empowering Government Schools: Specifically targeting students from government institutions ensures that the “Digital India” and “STEM” dividends are shared equitably across socio-economic strata.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: How can the ‘UNESCO-Symbiosis’ credit-based mentorship model be integrated into the state-level ‘Skill India’ curricula to provide formal academic recognition for extracurricular STEM training?
Follow the full news here: UNESCO-Symbiosis Strengthen Pathways For Girls’ Leadership in STEM