Today PNG and Australia will join the world in celebrating the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Rather than just celebrate, I want our countries to continue to collaborate and inspire more women and girls to study and work in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
More women with STEM skills in the workforce has benefits for everyone. Countries worldwide are using STEM education to drive socio-economic development and promote equality. STEM classes help young people develop enquiring minds, by supporting students to develop research, critical thinking and problem-solving skills rather than just absorb information.
Jobs of the future will require a basic understanding of maths and science. In fact, in Australia, in the next few decades, we expect around 60 per cent of new jobs created will require skills in STEM. As global challenges grow in scale and complexity, it’s increasingly important to nurture a strong, capable and creative workforce that brings diverse perspectives to problem-solving, knowledge building and solution-seeking. Greater STEM skills bring these perspectives, and innovation in STEM leads to new products and processes that build the economy.
Papua New Guinea, like Australia needs to be prepared to meet these challenges. And the skilled workforce of the future cannot afford to exclude women and girls, or PNG will lose 50 per cent of the potential workforce.
A great example of women leading in STEM is that of the Port Moresby based 2018 Westpac Outstanding Women awards Young Achiever, Crystal Kewe. Crystal had co-founded her own software development company at the age of 15 and has since then continued on as a pioneer for PNG women in ICT.
Similarly, Australia Awards scholar Pamela Toliman, a recipient of the Allison Sudrajat prize in 2016, has been undertaking a PhD in health science at the Kirby Institute at the University of New South Wales. Her PhD is centred on cervical cancer screening algorithms for women in PNG. Whilst completing her studies she is also an active member of the Australia Awards Women’s Leadership Initiative Steering Committee and takes time out to mentor younger female researchers. These are the very women in STEM that the PNG-Australia partnership nurtures and develops.
I know the Government of Papua New Guinea (GoPNG) is also committed to STEM education. This commitment is evident in the National Informational and Communication Technology Authority’s (NICTA) push for more women to be trained and employed in information and communication technology (ICT). The NICTA Girls in ICT Tertiary Scholarship is one of several GoPNG initiatives that encourage young women to develop skills and build careers in the fields of engineering, computer science and ICT. By letting students explore STEM-related concepts, we provide an opportunity to develop passion that will hopefully continue into occupations in a STEM field.
Another major PNG Government development in this sector is the installation of the Coral Sea Cable System, supported by Australia. The project will bring greater connectivity and improved communications infrastructure to PNG and the potential for exponential economic growth. The Coral Sea Cable System will open opportunities for skilled STEM workers to engage in a wider range of possibilities in an expanding, modernising economy.
The Australian Government is eager for more collaboration with PNG to create more opportunities for women in STEM. Australia has already begun implementing innovations in STEM based learning as part of its standard curriculum and hopes to support PNG’s move towards a similar goal. I hope that with both our nations working together, we can develop effective methods of utilising STEM for sustainable socio-economic development whilst actively promoting equality for women and girls in STEM and the general workforce.