Author: Abass Shaw, Research & Development Lead, iDT Labs
Do you know that there is a big gender divide in the use of ICT? Could it be a surprise that a substantial number of students and business owners do not own a personal computer? How about the fact that a lot of students go through tertiary education without having to struck a single computer key board?
Ok see how so true this is. This article will tell how a Free Computer Training Sessions for Women, University students and SMEs Folded Up.
The curtain of a “Five Days Free ICT Training Program” for 40 women, 10 Small & Medium Sized Enterprises, and 35 university students was drawn down on the 15th March 2016. The program was thrilled with inspiring statements and anxiety among beneficiaries to receive certificates of merits and a surprise package.
Starting the ball rolling Joe Abass Bangura, Chief Executive Officer IDT Labs gave s picture on the importance of complementing academic programmes with relevant ICT skills to match the demands required by the current day market. On behalf of Samskips, Mrs. Regina revealed in her statement “For us, this particular program is important, because when you look at the statistics there is a big gender divide in the world of ICT. And when you look at the way ICT is relevant in all sectors and beginning to take over the way things are done in everything, that gender divide in ICT means that women will be left further behind if we don’t encourage them to embrace ICTs”. Salton Massally Chief Technology Officer iDT Labs, cited that “we are in the world of technology where computing skills is relevant. He broadens that the training exercise was crucial in bridging the digital divide between the haves and the haves not apparent in our society.
Representing the beneficiaries, a male trainee reiterates the words of our CTO and calls for the expansion of the training exercise nationally to have others benefit from this initiative. A succinct elucidation of the current challenges faced by Sierra Leone university students was made by a female beneficiary who advanced that’ “we have a lot of students who go through the university without having to struck a single key board”. She pleaded that more training courses are organized in advance office tools like Outlook to consolidate the already skills they have bagged.
At the tail end, certificates of merit were awarded to all 85 participants coupled with each participant given a free computer. The effects of this segment of the exercise was not premeditated as we came to realize these computers gave the opportunity to most participants to own their first personal computers. Mr. Tanu, a student of IPAM, University of Sierra Leone testifies that “this computer has taken away my worries about how can I access a computer to write my dissertation”.
Words and literary songs of praises were echoed about IDT Labs and Samskips with some singing “God bless IDT Labs and Samskips”. As the balloons were mounted in the sky so this memorable event lapsed.
