During
the Summer of 2014, the Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining was
involved in an Inaugural Jamaican Girls Coding 2014 Summer Camp that saw some twenty
(20) girls from the Corporate Area being taught Computer Programming skills.
They
recently received their certificates of Participation and achievement along
with Tablets as prizes at a ceremony held at JAMPRO (Jamaica Promotions
Corporation) New Kingston offices on Friday August 22nd 2014 as
reported in the article “Girls
exposed to fun side of coding”, published Thursday, August 28, 2014, The Jamaica Observer.
During
this month long program which apparently took place in August 2014, the twenty
(20) girls were exposed to aspects of Animation and Computer Programming
particularly:
1.
Website Programming Languages
2.
Animation
3.
Smartphone App Design
It's
rare to bump into a programme that's geared towards getting more Females to do
the Pure Sciences, Industrial Technology or even ICT (Information and Computer
Sciences). There's a need for that as there is currently a shortage of Females
in the Pure Sciences, Industrial Technology and ICT (Information and Computer
Sciences) Field either doing it as a career or teaching at the High School, College
or University Level.
This
is especially true of the ICT field, which doesn’t really exist in Jamaica by
itself, but merely as a support to the Telecoms and BPO (Business Process
Outsourcing) Sectors in Jamaica. In short, ICT is a field isn't Male dominated
as males aren’t opposed to female entering their field anymore.
Rather,
quite simply, the lack of females in the ICT Sector is simply because a pure ICT Sector doesn’t really exist as
I’ve argued in my blog article entitled
“International
Girls in ICT Day - How Women can jump-Start Jamaican ICT Industry from Call
Centers, Telecom Providers and NDA's”.
One
of the things I'd argue in that blog article was the need to educate Females from
an early age about Careers in ICT. It seems my prayers have been answered with
this Inaugural Jamaican Girls Coding 2014 Summer Camp. Here’s hoping that the Inaugural
Jamaican Girls Coding 2014 Summer Camp will be an Annual affair and that it
will expand islandwide to include the Rural schools as well.
From
the comments of one of the participants, 12-year-old Nastascia Virgo, she might
be Hooked on Coding, quote: “We learned how to use a Programming website called
Scratch. This experience was really fun, but stressful. For some of us we
started with easy games and simple stories, but gradually transformed them into
well developed game apps with different levels and animated stories”.
Indeed,
it looks like she's gotten bitten by the Programming bug as she thoroughly
enjoyed this Inaugural Jamaican Girls Coding 2014 Summer Camp as “an experience of a lifetime” to carry on to
the College and University level!
Jamaican Girls Coding
2014 Summer Camp – Lack of Science and Industrial Technology Majors at MICO
One
of the main things I’ve begun to notice at the MICO University College is the fact that
very few Females actually do any Industrial Technology or Computer Programming
Courses. Most of the Females at the MICO
University College seem to be doing courses in Early Childhood Education or
English Literature, Home Economics or even Spanish.
I’m
yet to bump into any large numbers of Females in the Library or elsewhere doing
Pure Sciences, Industrial Technology or Computer Programming Courses, let alone
girls who even play Console Video games casually on their downtime, build
electronics circuits or even write Computer programs i.e. Engineering and
Hands-on tomboy Females. By pure Sciences I mean:
1.
Biochemistry
2.
Biology
3.
Chemistry
4.
Geography
5.
Geology
6.
Mathematics
7.
Physics
Maybe
the tomboy Females with these aspirations are the ones wearing the pants on
campus, albeit based on the informal Female Fashion Police on the MICO University College Campus, that’s
usually a look usually reserved for Second and Third Year Full-Time Teaching
Students on this decidedly PNP (People’s National Party) colour themed Campus!
Being
a Full-Time Evening Student doing the Professional Teaching Diploma via the
Department of Continuing Studies, I can only pass through during the days in my
JLP Green Hat and Sunglasses on certain days to sit in the courtyard under the
Tree nearest to the Mural to do my homework.
I’ve
now opted for the Library as the Internet is faster in the Learning Commons and
I can get more work done as I’m surrounded by like-minded Females busy trying
to finish up their homework and Projects instead of idling under the trees in
the courtyard!
Granted,
I’m more of a Visual learner, as I’ve recently discovered in my The Learners we Teach Class. I'm not
someone who learns by watching other do things i.e. A Kinesthetic Learner but
rather via Reading and Writing combined with my super-strong imagination to
guide my minds-eye.
I
was expecting a lot of girly-girls at the MICO
University College, given the frequency Females try to hit on me as a Male,
as on the MICO University College, a Male
is as rare as a four-leaf clover and highly coveted way for girls to ‘get luck”
if you know what I mean!
Guess
that’s not quite true, actually. It’s more of a Female swop-shop for males, so
says the Female Fashion Police under the Trees in the courtyard and gaining a
boyfriend is their ultimate Battleground!
It's
not uncommon to see Male-Female pairs walking on campus holding hands in the
twilight as if to emphasize to other Females that this individual belongs to
them, usually down by the football field at the back of MICO University College. After all,
males are scarce and with fewer males on the dorms, you have to hold on to the
quality males you can get.
This
man shortage is due to fact that students overall are finding it difficult to
afford to come to MICO University College,
muchless Board on Campus. Travel to MICO
University College means spending JA$120 on the JUTC with your SmarterCard
or more to go to the various schools to do their Practicum.
And
with Accreditation issues dogging many of the MICO University College courses, many
face an uncertain future of Teaching jobs that only pay JA$40,000 per month.
Thus males may not be attracted to coming to do a degree at MICO University College.
But
even in this Girl Heaven of a learning environment, surely there must be those
who intend to teach the Pure Sciences and especially Industrial Technology or Computer
Programming Courses, as it can't all be about the “easier” and less Science
based courses? Not to mention serve as a distraction from watching the asses
and other unmentionable body parts of the few males that dot the campus like
rare cacti or even rarer Unicorn.
Thus
something is needed on the MICO
University College Campus to awaken the fact that the Pure Sciences and
especially Industrial Technology or Computer Programming Courses are not just
for the Boys but are fields that Females can pursue and be successful in as
well as a Career, both as a Teacher as well as an entrepreneur.
“Girls Who Code” Club
at MICO - Video Game and Animation need culture of Computer Programming
So
it's good to see that Minister of State in the Ministry of Science, Technology,
Energy and Mining (STEM) Julian Robinson has it in mind to make this not only
an Annual affair but also expand it into the High Schools and possibly
Community Colleges, and Universities and hopefully Teacher’s colleges as well,
quote: “This is not the end of the road, as with this kind of privilege comes
responsibility. I want to ask you to lead coding groups in your schools and to
demonstrate to other students what you have done over the four-week period”.
To
that end, a “Girls Who Code” Club at the High School level and hopefully at the
Teacher Colleges and Universities across Jamaica will solve the problem of Females
being unaware of the opportunities that exist in a pure ICT Sector, which technically
doesn’t exist in Jamaica, merely serving a supporting role in BPO (Business
Process Outsourcing) i.e. Call Centers as well as in the Telecom Sector.
It's
a good fit with the TIS (Tablet in School) Project as explained in my blog article entitled
“Tablet
In Schools Project launched for September 2014 – How Teachers Benefit as Female
interest in ICT Industry Blossoms” as it'll boost Female interest in the
ICT as a Career.
Minister
of State in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce Sharon
Ffolkes-Abrahams concurred with this assessment, stating it would also boost
the entrepreneurial side of Females in this burgeoning pure ICT field that doesn’t
really exist.
After
all, females who are breadwinners for their families wouldn’t mind having Video
Game, Animation, Computer Programming with a dash of smartphone and tablet App
Design as additional skills if it mean they could earn JA$100,000 and more in
additional income as an independent business at home using you Desktop Computer.
With
Animation, Video Game Design and Programming starved of talent, the next big
App designer, like TapKat
Fiesta App Developer Stephen William as stated in my blog article entitled
“Stephen
Williams' Android Game TapKat Fiesta - Social Media Marketing even as VoIP for
Corporate and Enterprise untapped Telecoms Opportunity” may be a Female.
In
fact, given the need for higher remuneration among female, the pure ICT
Start-ups may be created not by groups of males but Females, since from casual
observation they tend to have a stronger group work ethic.
Thus
encouraging more Female camaraderie via a “Girls who Code” Club with the idea
that they too can enter into this burgeoning Computer Programming field is an
excellent idea. This as Computer Programming is the underpinning skill behind Animation
and Video Game Programming as explained in my blog article entitled
“Animation
after KingstOOn - How to make a Video Game for PC, Smartphone and Tablet”.
Once
they have the right tools and become independent entrepreneurs making their own
money as, Video Game Designers, App Developers or even Independent Animators as
explained in my blog article entitled
“JANN
to host Intellectual Property Workshop at UTECH – How Independent Animators can
Make money from Animation and thwart Copyright Infringement”, they'd be
able to create the very ICT Sector that has eluded Jamaica thus far.
Jamaica
will eventually be known for more than just Call Centers, where we regurgitate
information from manuals and training to White People who just can't seem to
read a manual. Hence the reason for the World Bank investing some US$20 million
in the Animation Industry in Jamaica as noted in my blog article entitled
“Jamaica's
World Bank's US$105 million Loan – All My Children Animation, SME VC's and
Public Sector get Second Chance at Economic Redemption”.
Jamaican
Girls Coding 2014 Summer Camp with a Girls who Code Club is the start on the road
to getting Females to realize that there are indeed careers in the field of
Computer Programming. Best of all, it can lead to work as an Independent Video
Games Developer, Animator or App
Developer making as much as JA$100,000 per month.
This
would also put us on the map as a Silicon Carib of the Caribbean where content
Creation in the field of Video Games, Animation and App Design is done,
underpinned by a strong culture of Computer Programming powered by Females with
a passion for ICT!
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