Prof. Ibiyinka Fuwape, Vice-Chancellor, Michael and Cecilia Ibru University, Delta State, says Nigeria needs female scientists’ directory to mentor women and girls in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) careers.
Fuwape, a physicist, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, regretted the absence of structured mentorship among female scientists.
“As a country we need to have the statistics of female scientists, a directory of where these people are so that the younger ones will know and can relate with them,’’ she told NAN.
She told NAN that there were accomplished women in STEM-related-careers, both locally and internationally who were ready to mentor young ones.
“Accomplished scientists should be invited to schools to give talks so the female students can relate that these people exist, they marry and they are balancing both career and family.
“Structured mentoring is lacking; we need to mentor the upcoming ones so that they don’t face the challenges that we faced.
“When you mentor a younger person, you open that person up to your network; guide the person, the person will succeed faster through primary, secondary schools and university education.
“The gap is there, there are Nigerian women excelling both locally and internationally and young ones can adopt them as mentors and they as mentees,’’ Fuwape said.
Another intervention she said that could improve female representation in STEM included employment of more female teachers.
She also urged science book publishers to project the image of female STEM professionals in basic science text books.
“People who write science books should be encouraged. When you are putting the picture of an engineer in science books, put a female wearing lab coat.
“With that image the children can know that from primary school, a woman can be anything, including a scientist, doctor, an engineer,’’ she said.
She further suggested that universities could mount scholarships to encourage parents financially unstable to send their children to study science-careers and special award for good performance in STEM.