THE Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology (DIT) has come up with an initiative meant to motivate secondary school girls to pursue science subjects in an effort to bridge the gender gap in science professions in the country.

The move is also intended to enable more girls to benefit from science-related courses that the institute offers.

Dubbed, ‘Regional Flagship ICT Centre’ (RAFIC), the initiative, funded by the World Bank (WB), will benefit Tanzania and other East African community countries. The DIT hosts the project at its Dar es Salaam campus.

DIT’s Head of Industrial Liaison Department and career guidance, Dr John Msumba, revealed this on Monday when speaking to reporters during a training tour by female students from various secondary schools in Dar es Salaam region.

“We have brought secondary school female students here to witness how female students at the institute perform well in terms of doing scientific innovations, which can also encourage them to pursue science subjects and thus going against the perception that science courses are for boys,” he said.

Dr Msumba argued that for some time now girls have been lagging behind in pursuing science courses in technical colleges.

“We believe that through this initiative, the RAFIC Project, more girls would be motivated to study science subjects and compete in the job market,” he said.

He revealed that the DIT has been given the opportunity to become the Regional Information Technology Center for East Africa (Regional Flagship Center of Excellence in ICT).

For her part, DIT’s Gender Unit Coordinator Nsantule Nzowa said the RAFIC project was an opportunity to increase the number of female science students in secondary school level to a higher learning level.

Ms Nzowa urged science students from different secondary schools to keep up their efforts so that they realize their dreams of joining various fields of science at the DIT, assuring that the RAFIC was there to support them.

She also appealed to the government, parents and the public at large to inspire girls to opt to study science subjects at their tender ages.

Speaking on behalf of her fellow students who toured the college, Mwamini Mohammed from Makongo Secondary School asked the Government to invest in science education for motivating innovation that will contribute to solving challenges facing society in various sectors.