The TechnoGirl programme is at the frontline of a process that will contribute towards women participating meaningfully in the mainstream economy in careers that are predominantly dominated by men, says Department of Women Deputy Director-General, Annette Griessel.

Addressing the TechnoGirl partnership launch, Griessel said the programme plays a critical role in facilitating the entry of women into science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) career fields and in breaking down gender stereotypes.

This is critical to ensure that women indeed benefit from the Fourth Industrial Revolution rather than allow it to further marginalise women from the mainstream economy.

Ultimately, we want full economic inclusion for women. We want women’s equitable participation in ownership, management and the control of the economy, she said.

Griessel said although the democratic government has made strides towards gender equality, there are many spaces in the economy that remain untransformed and are hostile towards women.

TechnoGirl is a flagship programme of the Department of Women, in partnership with United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Department of Basic Education, State Information Technology Agency (SITA) and TechnoGirl Trust.

On Tuesday, the Deputy Minister of Telecommunications and Postal Services, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to officially mark the department’s five-year partnership with the TechnoGirl Trust.

The MoU seeks to facilitate cooperation and coordination of the efforts in the area of information and communication technology (ICT) to promote and enhance the developmental needs and skills shortages of girl learners from rural and previously disadvantaged communities, and to ensure their success as active participants in the economy of the country.

The Deputy Minister announced that her department will provide support to 10 TechnoGirl beneficiaries on an annual basis, over a five-year period.

TechnoGirl beneficiary Pertunia Mojapelo, who grew up in Alexandra township, Johannesburg, recently graduated from the University of Pretoria with a Bachelor of Information Science Degree.

Earlier this year, she was offered an opportunity to do her internship at CM.com headquarters in the Netherlands. The company provides a communication platform (cPaaS) in the area of Messaging, Voice, Payments and Authentication.

Being in the Netherlands and an intern, opened my eyes to a new world. It has enhanced my knowledge from a working and social perspective, Mojapelo said.

The 23-year-old joined TechnoGirl in 2009 and has attended job shadowing, which was organised by TechnoGirl in a company that was in the health sector.

At that time, I wanted to pursue a career in that field but I realised that from a technological point of view, this sector can be enhanced as there are online platforms that can easily link people to health related information and I wanted to be involved in the creation of such sites, Mojapelo said.

She is currently based at CM.com’s Johannesburg offices.

As the TechnoGirl brand ambassador, the Deputy Minister will mobilise financial and material support for the implementation of the various components of the programme such as job shadowing, digital learning and skills development.

Ndabeni-Abrahams said by 2030, about one million data scientists must have been trained and produced in the country.

Source: South African Government News Agency

Deputy Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams to sign Mou and officially launch a Partnership with Technogirl Trust

On Tuesday, 14 August 2018, the Deputy Minister of Telecommunications and Postal Services, Ms Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to officially mark the department’s five-year partnership with the TechnoGirl Trust.

The MoU seeks to facilitate cooperation and coordination of the efforts in the area of ICT, to promote and enhance the developmental needs and skills shortages of girl learners from rural and previously disadvantaged communities and to ensure their success as active participants in the economy of the country.

The partnership launch, which will be attended by various ICT stakeholders and TechnoGirl beneficiaries, aims to profile the TechnoGirl programme as a women empowerment programme among prospective partner organisations in the industry.

TechnoGirl is a flagship programme of the Department of Women, in partnership with UNICEF, the Department of Basic Education, State Information Technology Agency (SITA) and TechnoGirl Trust. The programme seeks to expose girls from rural and disadvantaged communities to scarce STEM career fields which can significantly contribute towards motivating them to take up these careers that are in demand in the economy and where women are under-represented.

As the TechnoGirl brand ambassador, the Deputy Minister will mobilise financial and material support for the implementation of the various components of the programme such as job shadowing, digital learning and skills development. Further, the department will provide support to ten (10) TechnoGirl beneficiaries on an annual basis, over a five-year period.

Source: Government of South Africa

The South Africa Police Service is dedicated in creating a safe and secure environment that is free from gender based violence, crime and drugs though the development of young people who will uphold the moral values and principles of the society.

In achieving this; the police in the Northern Cape held a public speaking competition on 11 August 2018 at Upington to appoint Junior Provincial Management which will be led by a Junior Provincial Commissioner. The competition was between grades eight (8) and nine (9) learners who came from five Clusters within the Province. Each cluster was represented by five leaners; this making the total of participants to be 25.

The Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Risimati Peter Shivuri together with his Provincial Management was present at the event. He delivered a keynote address. In his address he outlined his expectations on the impact the Junior Commissioner Project should have in the fight against crime. Through the project, the youth will learn to take responsibility for their own safety and that of others by taking the lead in the fight against crime, he said. He wished the learners well and encouraged them to do their best in everything they do and not forgetting that they are all winners.

The competition was adjudicated by five judges of whom two were officials from South African Police Service and one official from the Department of Education, Department of Social Development and Community Police Board. A common rubric evaluation sheet from Department of Education was utilised to ensure standardisation and uniformity.

After a very informative, educational session and deliberations between the judges the winners were announced. In first position to be the Junior Provincial Commissioner from Francis Baard Cluster is grade 9 learner, Sandisiwe Ndulelisa, second place was taken by Zinathi Thomas from Pixley Ka Seme, who will occupy the Junior Deputy Provincial Commissioner: Crime Detection while third place was scooped by Umamele Mudumele also from Francis Baard Cluster will be the Junior Deputy Provincial Commissioner: Policing. The fourth place was taken by Munyaradzi Marufu, Francis Baard Cluster who will be the Junior Deputy Provincial Commissioner: Asset Management and the fifth place was won by Ndawa Mabaye of Namakwa Cluster and she will be the Junior Deputy Provincial Commissioner for Human Resource Management. Other learners will be occupying offices as Junior Provincial Heads this ensuring that all the participants are winners.

Congratulations to all the participants and may this be the beginning of a great fruitful endeavour. The SAPS will continue to promote and to nurture leadership development and character building among young people in our society and also recognise the young people as key role players in addressing crime in our

Source: South African Police Service