Second Episode of EdTech Mondays to Look at Edtech from the Gender Perspective

The second episode of EdTech Mondays, a radio show launched to facilitate critical conversations on using technology for teaching and learning in Ethiopia, is set to air today, November 7, 2022.

To be broadcasted on Ethio FM 107.8, at 8 p.m., the episode will focus on advancing girls’ education through digital learning.

The show, which will also be live-streamed on Shgea’s Telegram channel, will explore the key challenges girls face in education, the exacerbating factors making things worse, how digital learning and technology can help address identified challenges, who are the key stakeholders in digitizing girls’ education, as well as what policy steps can be taken towards digital learning for girls.

According to a 2019 study by UNESCO, in Sub-Saharan Africa, 32.6 million girls of primary and lower secondary school age are out of school. This number rises to 52 million when considering girls of upper secondary school age.

Further, the 2021 Global Gender Gap Report published by the World Economic Forum, shows only 5.3% of women are enrolled in higher education in Ethiopia, compared with 10.9% of men.

“This stark and persistent gender disparity in education has only been met with sporadic attempts to rectify it. Thus, starting a conversation on how these disparities can be addressed is important. In particular, discussing how technology and digital learning can make education in Ethiopia more accessible is a crucial step toward raising awareness,” said Nathnael Tsegaw, Head of Shega Insights.

The upcoming show will have Yididya Fantahun, Founder & CEO of SeEd Educational Center of Technology, a tech learning platform that provides training on coding, and Abel Tefera, Project Manager at STEMpower, an NGO advancing STEM Education, Innovation, and Tech-SMEs in Africa, as panelists, while the discussion will be moderated by Redeit Kassa, a media personality.

EdTech Mondays was launched by the Mastercard Foundation in partnership with Shega Media & Technology to create a platform where issues that affect the use of technology in education are discussed.

The radio show, with its first episode airing last month, brings key stakeholders together, such as policymakers, EdTech entrepreneurs, teachers, and parents.

On the continental level, an integrated, Africa-wide conversation of EdTech Monday airs monthly on CNBC Africa and the Mastercard Foundation Young Africa Works Facebook Page.

In alignment with the monthly Africa theme, Mastercard Foundation offices in Rwanda, Kenya, Ghana, Uganda, Nigeria, and Ethiopia, in partnership with local EdTech support organizations, disseminate the discussions with the local context, experts, nuances, and case studies.

The Mastercard Foundation is one of the largest private foundations in the world, with a mission to advance learning and promote financial inclusion to create an inclusive and equitable world. The Foundation was created by Mastercard in 2006 as an independent organization with its own Board of Directors and management.

The third episode of Edtech Mondays will focus on how EdTech can increase access to education and skills for learners with disabilities.