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The statistics showed that a higher percentage of boys have been passing science subjects over the past few years. This is something that a lot of people may see as normal but in this era where all are equal, there should be fair battles where both sexes actively compete for the top spot.
To get to the bottom of this, Cool Lifestyle traded in swag clothes for white dust coats and trekked to the science chambers at Livingston House in Harare’s CBD.
Secretary for Science and Technology Professor Gudyanga was happy to attend to us and he gave a clear insight to the reasons why girls have been stumbling behind while the boys excel ahead of them in science subjects.
“It all starts in children’s early years. It is simple actually and one can conduct this experiment at home. Have you ever noticed how boys are curious and have learnt to apply scientific principles as they build and play with their toys?” he said.
One might be surprised and wonder where we are going with this but it made sense to Cool lifestyle that normally small girls are comfortable “mothering” their dolls while boys on the other had play with more complex toys.
“That makes them investigative and if they hear funny sounds or are given complicated toys to play with, they are known to break them. The reason they do this is to find out where sounds are coming from, if the toy can still perform after it has been altered or what the hidden sides look like” said the professor.
Wow! Who knew how such small things could end up making a huge development in the minds of people. So it turns out that boys may be called menaces, but breaking toys and tempering with things is part of a learning process for them.
“At certain stages, they end up making their own toy cars with wire and bottle tops, thereby implementing basic principles of science. By the times the boys start studying science subjects, a lot of things start to make sense while they will be aware of some of the scientific concepts” added the professor.
While some might use all sorts of defences, it is not entirely true that ill equipped laboratories in schools play a role in lowering the girls pass rate. Records have proved that even in remote schools where they learn science under trees, impressive results have been obtained.
This however is no excuse for the responsible authorities not to adequately equip science labs in schools. If this is done, it simplifies the lives of everyone.
“All that is needed is to work hard and for girls develop a positive attitude towards sciences. There have been a lot of success stories in women who have excelled in the world of science. Young girls should emulate from these role models and thrive to give the guys stiff competition” said Professor Gudyanga.
It is never too late for girls to cultivate the science principles in their minds. It helps to train the mind and avoid using calculators in order to develop the capacity to think beyond the basics.
A local biomedical doctor from Harare, Dr Nhamo reiterated this fact and gave a real life example statistics were
“I was a member of the SDA at a local Girls High School and after noticing the trend of low pass rates in sciences; we worked out strategies to get students more involved in the subjects, “ he said.
So to all you girls, remember to have an inquisitive mind and open your mind to learning new stuff. Make observations of things around you and try to figure out how things work.
You can also apply this when you chose sports, take Dr Nhamo’s advice and opt for the ones that put your mind to the test. Calculative sports like tennis covers geometry as you work out angles and distances can help your cause too. It is high time girls give the guys a run for their money. How about changing the score board starting with in-class tests?
Online Reporter