MIT Solve

Solution Overview

Solution Name:

FORESIGHT RADIO

One-line solution summary:

75% of its programmes aired will be related to STEM related courses and how TVET education may be inclusive for girls and women.

Pitch your solution.

Rwanda's economy is characterized by a serious lack of qualified people in the workforce, particularly in the technical sectors. Education and TVET contribute to producing competent human resources for economic and social development. TVET has been an important component within the Rwandese policy to end poverty by enabling beneficiaries to acquire skills required to create jobs and compete in the labor market.

Despite efforts by the Government to revamp TVET, challenges persist like lack of enough materials for practice, lack of qualified teachers and the low enrollment of female students . One of the reasons of this low enrollment for female students in TVET Institutions is due to not studying/focusing on STEM related courses the reason why my project, which is foresight Radio, will be encouraging female students to study those STEM related courses and notice available opportunities to access the learning empowering them with equitable contribution in the development.

What specific problem are you solving?

In Rwanda, majority of female students shy away from STEM-related courses and the number pursuing STEM-related courses still low compared to males. It is noted, the gender disparity is alarming, especially as STEM careers are often referred to as the jobs of the future, driving innovation, social wellbeing, inclusive growth and sustainable development. Below are some STEM related trades enrollment statistics in Rwanda 2019.

Agriculture and food processing: Males: 2,683, Female: 3,164

Arts and Crafts, Male: 1,141, Female: 5,936

Beauty and aesthetics. Male: 232 , Female:1,077

Business services: Male: 2,130, Female: 9,204

Construction and Building services: Male: 21,370, Female: 4,203

Energy: Male: 4,821, Female: 1,249

Hospitality and tourism: Male: 2,850, Female: 7,643

ICT: Male: 7,398, Female: 5,738

Manufacturing and Mining Male: 1,511 Female: 255

Females are well represented in the trades where there are no many STEM related courses

In Rwanda, in 2019, TVET enrollment in high learning institution was 72% males and 28% females and STEM students enrollment was 67.9% males and 32.1% females.

So, the problem to solve is: the low enrollment of girls in STEM related trades due to not being committed to study Sciences early.

What is your solution?

Strengthening and promoting STEM subjects is a top priority for the government of Rwanda (Education Sector Strategic Plan, 2018/19 to 2023/24) with aspiration to become a knowledge-based economy requires the development of scientific and technological skills across all levels with a special focus on girls.

My solution/ as my contribution to this problem is foresight radio. Through this radio, girls will be motivated to enroll in STEM programs by helping to gain confidence in their abilities. To help girls feel confident in making choices and education systems need to improve career guidance and orientation services and promote role models.

Delivering STEM related courses and try the best so that most of courses will be taught by females. Airing talks aiming at promoting STEM in primary and secondary schools with authorities from Ministry of Education, Institutions in charge of TVET, Youth, gender, private sectors, development partners and among others. Talks aiming at Dropping Gender Stereotypes. Awareness Campaigns that Girls are able and can perform well in sciences especially when they have goals. But they have to overcome any sort of discouragement. They have to go beyond the myth that there are tasks meant for boys only.

Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?

Population served with the project: The community particularly students aged from 5-18 years especially girls.

In many developing countries, key drivers preventing women and girls accessing STEM include social norms and traditional cultural values. Often societal norms discourage girls from studying STEM, considering it a domain for boys and mem. Perceptions are reinforced by the limited number of successful women in those domains who can mentor and advocate for girls’ education in STEM. Interventions are needed early on to encourage girls into STEM and so that they perceive it as a rewarding career.

Women and girls tend to leverage high value social capital compared to men and boys. In developing countries in particular, women have authentic relationships with their community members, and this allows them to be in tune with the most pressing problems of their community. A higher value social capital, combined with a social justice mindset, a STEM education, and social entrepreneurship, can lead to an increase of societal welfare. The way girls are underserved is remarkable by referring to the statistics of girls and women in STEM related trades in high schools and high learning institutions even at labor market level.

Enrollment in General public and private Secondary school

Secondary 1: Male: 90,632 Female: 106,832

Secondary 2: Male: 74,950 Female: 89,660

Secondary 3: Male: 54,333 Female: 64,731

Secondary 4: Male: 27,830 Female: 34,538

Secondary 5: Male: 25,175 Female: 31,171

Secondary 6: Male: 22,198 Female: 26,896

Referring to the above mentioned statistics, there is no scarcity of girls but they don't enroll in STEM related trades.

The below mentioned statistics indicate that females are well represented in the trades where there are no many STEM related courses.

Agriculture and food processing: Males: 2,683, Female: 3,164

Arts and Crafts, Male: 1,141, Female: 5,936

Beauty and aesthetics. Male: 232 , Female:1,077

Business services: Male: 2,130, Female: 9,204

Construction and Building services: Male: 21,370, Female: 4,203

Energy: Male: 4,821, Female: 1,249

Hospitality and tourism: Male: 2,850, Female: 7,643

ICT: Male: 7,398, Female: 5,738

Manufacturing and Mining

Male: 1,511 Female: 255

The graduates in TVET high learning institutions in 2017-2018 represented by 76.1% males and 23.9 females. This also affects the number of tertiary staff in TVET higher learning institution which was 80.4% males and 19.6% females in 2018-2019. The above statistics show that girls are underserved the reason why there must be mitigation measures to promote and support girls so that there is an inclusive growth and sustainable development.

By increasing the number of female problem solvers and change makers, we can alter the allocation of scarce resources to solve community problems. In a world infused with technology at every level, the right allocation of resources to solve the right problems becomes paramount. Here is the intervention to unlock women’s and girl’s potential in STEM.

What I am doing to understand their needs, and how I am engaging them as I develop the solution, I have been working in Integrated Polytechnic Regional Center(IPRC MUSANZE) since 2015-2018. It's a TVET high learning institution where I was a Students Welfare. I was in charge of addressing the problems and one of them was failing their courses. The root cause of that failure was due to how they studied the sciences in high schools.

From 2018-2021 I have been Monitoring and Evaluation in High Learning institution(Rwanda Polytechnic) an institution which was in charge of TVET SECONDARY SCHOOLS AND TVET HIGH LEARNING INSTITUTIONS. I always interacted with girls, parents, teachers, authorities through interviews, questionnaires and among others and come up with solutions to improve and support girls education focusing on sciences. One of the solutions was awareness campaigns covering many activities and we missed funds. So, this the right time to give my contribution through FORESIGHT RADIO.

Which dimension of the Challenge does your solution most closely address?

Enable access to quality learning experiences in low-connectivity settings—including imaginative play, collaborative projects, and hands-on experiments.

Explain how the problem you are addressing, the solution you have designed, and the population you are serving align with the Challenge.

Population served is the community particularly students (5-18) especially girls. Radio is an effective system for the distribution of teaching and learning to larger varieties of people. It will be airing talks and courses from one direction to many beneficiaries without discrimination. Broadcasters will be using variety of well-prepared resources, adapted pedagogy, methodology and environment will have an impact on learning; bring people together by encouraging exploration, collaboration, and discussion and we will use social media platforms to disseminate our contents related to sciences and encourage the community to value sciences especially girls. Quality, equity safety will be ensured.

In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?

Kigali, Rwanda

What is your solution’s stage of development?

Concept: An idea being explored for its feasibility to build a product, service, or business model based on that idea.

Explain why you selected this stage of development for your solution.

My solution is a Concept because it is still an idea being explored. We have been using solution while I was employed by IPRC MUSANZE and RWANDA POLYTECHNIC but the campaigns were aired through other radios and it wasn't enough time with the cost, the reason why I want to implement this idea.

Who is the Team Lead for your solution?

Mrs. Joyeuse Uwingabire