Women in STEM: B.Tech students awarded for mentoring schoolgirls

New Delhi: Deputy CM Manish Sisodia on Tuesday felicitated students of Indira Gandhi Delhi Technical University (IGDTUW) who completed the Delhi government's Education Mentoring Programme in which more than 1,000 female students were mentored by 250 engineering students from IGDTUW.

Through the programme, around 250 women studying engineering became mentors for more than 1,000 girls studying science in classes 11 and 12 across government schools. Under the programme engineering students of IGDTUW enrolled to provide STEM mentoring for six months to female students of state-run schools.

According to an official in the education department the programme was launched after data showed that girls were outperforming boys in the board examinations but most girls were shying away from science subjects post class X.

More than 1.5 lakh students from the government schools appear for the board exams each year and out of which only 5,000-6,000 girls enter the Science stream. "Those who do not manage to take up science later on have very little information on what career options they have ahead of them and definitely there is a need to mentor them on engineering courses as well, as most do not even consider it," the official added.

Under the Education Mentoring Programme, women who had recently cleared the JEE exam shared their experience, learnings and advice with students who are preparing for the same exam.

In a survey conducted by the government before launching the programme it was found that only 38 percent of the girls knew about the timeline for all their target entrance exams, and after launching the programme this had gone up to 91 per cent.

The programme has given information on the nature of papers the students have to answer to clear the entrance exams with nearly 99 percent of the students benefiting from it which was only 21 percent who had access to such information prior to this.

"Our education system has perfected its ability to cater to the top 5 per cent of our students. But you and I need to work hard to make sure that all 100 per cent of our children have the opportunity to fulfil their potential," Sisodia added.