Lockdown: Mastercard offers online STEM lectures to kids

Amidst COVID-19 induced lockdown across Nigeria, Mastercard has offered children, their parents and teachers free access to its STEM curriculum, Girls4Tech™. The programme – a suite of new online, creative educational resources – has been designed to help parents and teachers engage and inspire children between the ages of eight (8) to twelve (12). “Through […]

Amidst COVID-19 induced lockdown across Nigeria, Mastercard has offered children, their parents and teachers free access to its STEM curriculum, Girls4Tech™.

The programme – a suite of new online, creative educational resources – has been designed to help parents and teachers engage and inspire children between the ages of eight (8) to twelve (12).

“Through the newly launched website, Girls4Tech Connect, as well as through activities made in collaboration with Mastercard’s education partner, Scholastic, teachers and parents can download lessons to help students learn about STEM topics, from the comfort of their homes,” a statement from the financial company noted on Friday.

It said the activities are built on global science and maths standards – and incorporate Mastercard’s deep expertise in payments technology and innovation – to enable children to discover a range of STEM careers, such as Fraud Detective, Data Scientist and Software Engineer.

“Now in its sixth year, Girls4Tech has engaged more than 800,000 students across the globe – including more than a 100 in Nigeria – through inquiry-based activities and real-world challenges, all with the goal of inspiring more girls to pursue STEM careers and reduce the gender gap in these fields.

“Just last month, Mastercard hosted its first 2020 Girls4Tech programme in Nigeria where it reached 60 girls aged between nine and 12,” the statement added.

Commenting on the initiative, Ifeoma Dozie, Director, Marketing and Communications, Mastercard Sub-Saharan Africa, said: “We know that these are challenging times for parents and teachers on many fronts and hope that these learning resources are a fun way to engage and inspire kids about STEM while at home.

“The easy access to the website enhances what we’ve done in our many workshops across Nigeria. We look forward to building on both efforts when it’s once again safe to gather in person.”

She noted that starting from this week, new activities will be posted on a weekly basis at the Girls4Tech website, Facebook page and Twitter handle, adding that lessons are currently available in English.

“While all lessons are designed for students to work independently, materials are also available for teachers to guide online sessions,” she added.