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UN urges govts to prioritise ICT education for girls

By Adeyemi Adepetun
26 April 2019   |   3:56 am
The United Nations has called on governments across the globe to prioritise education of girls, especially in the area of information and communication technology (ICT). UN, through its specialised agency for ICT, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), while marking the 2019 ‘Girls in ICT Day’ yesterday in Geneva, Switzerland, said it placed huge importance on…

United Nations

The United Nations has called on governments across the globe to prioritise education of girls, especially in the area of information and communication technology (ICT).

UN, through its specialised agency for ICT, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), while marking the 2019 ‘Girls in ICT Day’ yesterday in Geneva, Switzerland, said it placed huge importance on technology because it remains the driver of development.

International Girls in ICT Day is celebrated every year on the fourth Thursday of April.

ITU disclosed that the occasion was celebrated yesterday in over 170 countries of the world, including Nigeria.

It used this year’s event to call on governments to help bridge the gender digital divide, estimating that within the next 10 years, there would be more than two million technology jobs that cannot be filled because of lack of digital specialists.

According to ITU, young women who learn coding, app development and computer science will not only be well-placed for a successful career in the ICT sector; advanced digital skills are rapidly becoming a strong advantage for students in almost any other field they might choose to pursue.

ITU secretary-general, Houlin Zhao, said: “Girls in ICT Day is a call to action to inspire the next generation of girls and young women to learn more about the exciting world of tech.”

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