Kathmandu, May 5th, 2020
The ICT sector is certainly one of the most important and growing sectors in the world. However, it is also one of the sectors with the least participation of women. The ICT industry requires diverse ideas and creativity which is not possible if we don’t see more women in tech.
In a male-dominated society and industry, people have failed to recognize the importance and contribution of women in the ICT sector. In the webinar, we discussed the career challenges and opportunities for women in the tech industry. We aim to empower women in the IT field and become a role model for society.
Here is the panel of speakers for the webinar:
- Central Executive Member at CAN Federation, Sheela Kansakar Karkee
- Vice President at Society of Economic Journalists Nepal, Saru Dhakal
- Central Committee Member at CFAN, Nani Maya Shakya
- Coordinator at LBEF, Dolma Sherpa
- Program Coordinator at Padmashree Int’l College, Sarita Neupane
The Moderator for the event, Mina Aryal, is the co-founder/Chief Editor at ICT Frame. It is the nation’s first woman-led online magazine in Nepal that provides ICT related news in Nepali and English languages.
Note: Even though the speakers expressed their precious views making this event a success, we faced several technical difficulties throughout the session. Moreover, spamming has increased in Zoom and we faced Zoombombing in this webinar. So, we suggest the readers be cautious while using the platform and adopt security measures while conducting such webinars.
Highlights from the Women in Tech Webinar
Dolma Sherpa
The webinar addressed topics such as challenges and opportunities for women in tech. Dolma Sherpa says that we should take the challenges as opportunities for women and address the works that need to be done. She suggested young girls set their minds into their field of interest and move forward with confidence.
She reflected on the low participation of girls in ICT with just 15-20% of women in the ICT sector. When asked how this situation could improve, she suggested providing a base of programming and technology from the school level. Also, scholarship schemes, workshops, and seminars should be arranged to empower them.
Sheela kansakar Karkee
Similarly, Sheela Kansakar Karkee says that family support is very crucial for girls in any sector. She mentioned that there are 7 women (out of 43 members) in the present executive committee of CAN Federation. Thus, she hints towards the role of schools/colleges and CAN federation to empower women to become a member.
To overcome the challenges, she suggests the provision of the loan facility, discount in admission or monthly fees, and job placement on a priority basis.
Saru Dhakal
Saru Dhakal also feels that family support is crucial especially in a field like journalism. She says that every sector is realizing the importance of ICT and adopting modern technology is the way to sustain their businesses. Furthermore, she reflects on the shift in the ideology of people drifting away from physical essence because of technology.
Sarita Neupane
Being involved in the academic sector, Sarita Neupane feels that the solution lies in the root. She also feels that we should empower girls from the ground-level and develop leadership qualities in them.
“Education sector is the best sector for women who want to balance their family and work,” she says. Thus, she believes that participating in academic activities is the way to start a career in ICT. According to her, male support is equally important to support and empower women in this field.
Nani Maya Shakya
Nani Maya Shakya suggests strengthening and upgrading the computer science course for the secondary level. To empower women in remote areas, she says the school-level education regarding technical knowledge needs more attention.
