BY MBONO MDLULI
MBABANE – In an effort to empower Eswatini girls, the Ministry of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) has selected 108 girls from various high schools across the country to take part in Space Science course through online platforms.
The girls will be part of 10 800 girls from 100 countries, who will participate in the course conducted by Mission ShakthiSAT.
This transpired on January 16, 2025 at the Ministry’s Conference Room in Mbabane. This was during the launch of Mission ShakthiSAT, an Indian programme established to empower girls worldwide, by introducing them to the fascinating field of space science. The launch of the programme was international, as it included ministers and other distinguished professionals from many countries in all the continents around the world.
Also participating in the event was Minister of ICT Savannah Maziya, who was happy with the launch of the programme. She told the participants that such a programme was important because it meant to empower girls and women. She even mentioned the importance of empowering such people, saying the world could be a better place when they were empowered.
“Eswatini is proud to be part of this groundbreaking initiative, with 108 young girls in stem selected to represent our nation in Mission ShakthiSAT. Their participation highlights our dedication to fostering talent, innovation, and gender equality in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM),” Maziya said.
The minister continued to state that she had worked with girls and women in STEM with the United Nations (UN) for the past 20 years. “This remains an area of focus for me. I am very clear that when women and girls are empowered, the world and space become a better place. We hold up half the sky,” she said.
Maziya then announced Khulile Winifred Dlamini, who is a Science Officer in the Department of Research, Science, Technology, and Innovation within the Ministry of ICT, to be the ambassador of Mission ShakthiSAT in Eswatini. This means Dlamini will be working with the girls and their science teachers to ensure that the online course becomes a success.
Speaking about the programme, Dlamini said the programme was going to last for a year, as they would start by learning online for three months. When they finish the online programme, one would be chosen to go to India, so that she could be given an opportunity to do the practicals of what she would learn online.
The chosen girl would participate with the other girls, who would be chosen from the other countries that are participating in this programme. Dlamini said the girls were from 14 to 18 years. They worked with science inspectors from the Ministry of Education and Training to select the children and the science teachers were the ones that helped with selection criteria. She said the date of the start of the course would be communicated, as some countries were yet to submit their lists of participants.
