Girls Coding Clubs To Be Established In Schools

Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining is moving to establish coding clubs for girls at institutions that are involved in the Tablet in Schools programme.

State Minister in the Ministry, Hon. Julian Robinson, who made the disclosure to JIS News at a college fair at the Kingston High School on November 25, said the initiative will be led by girls, who have benefitted from training in coding.

“It is just getting off the ground. The young ladies, who were trained, we are asking them to act as ambassadors and then to establish clubs at their own schools, he informed.

Mr. Robinson said the move is part of the push to get more women into the information and communications technology (ICT) industry, which is dominated by men.

“The hope is to get more women in the ICT discipline and to launch careers in this area,” he pointed out.

Over 100 fifth form students of the King Street-based school benefitted from assistance in selecting the right tertiary institutions to further their studies at the college fair.

Representatives of several institutions were on hand to educate students on the programmes of study offered and the areas that best suit their interests.

These included: the University of Technology (UTech), University of the West Indies (UWI), The Mico University College, Edna Manley School of the Visual and Performing Arts, International University of the Caribbean (IUC), and the Jamaica Theological Seminary (JTS).

Member of Parliament for West Kingston, Desmond McKenzie, in his remarks, lauded the improvements in academic performance and discipline at the school, and encouraged the students to continue along the path of excellence.

The event, organised by the school, included a health fair, where community members benefitted from free health checks.  It was held under the theme: ‘Positioning for the Future’.