Translated with DeepL
From 25 to 26 September, Martina Hirayama, State Secretary for Education, Research and Innovation, was on a science mission to Pretoria and Cape Town. The aim of the trip was to deepen the long-term cooperation between Switzerland and South Africa in the areas of education, research and innovation. SATW was also part of the official delegation.
As part of the "G20 Research and Innovation Working Group Side Event " on the topic of "Closing the Gender Gap in Science, Technology and Innovation", Switzerland joined a global network of researchers, educators and decision-makers who are committed to promoting girls and women in STEM professions.
Representing Switzerland, Edith Schnapper, Head of Junior Researcher Development at SATW, spoke at the roundtable "STEM Begins Early: Engaging Girls from Playground to Lecture Hall". Using the successful Swiss TecLadies programme as an example, she showed how crucial it is to involve girls and their environment at an early stage: Teachers, parents and mentors. "We need to create systems that empower teachers to inspire, support parents and encourage girls to see themselves as future scientists and engineers," said Schnapper.
Professor Rose Leke from Cameroon, a renowned epidemiologist and winner of numerous international awards, also made a particularly succinct statement on the topic: "Let's not just take a seat at the table, let's build our own and make room for others."
The discussions, which were accompanied by representatives of the UNESCO initiative "1 Million Girls in STEM" as well as experts from China, India and Tunisia, focussed on one central question: How can girls be retained and promoted in STEM subjects in the long term?
Edith Schnapper formulated clear recommendations for Switzerland and other G20 countries:
In the short term: expand mentoring programmes and STEM camps, strengthen visible female role models.
In the long term: embed gender-sensitive curricula, train teachers in inclusive pedagogy and promote cooperation between schools, universities and industry.
Sharing knowledge: Establish an international G20 STEM Exchange Platform to share best practices, mentoring concepts and impact data.
The growing partnership between Switzerland and South Africa in research, innovation and industry is an example of how international cooperation can create new, inclusive opportunities for the next generation of female innovators.
SATW would like to thank the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation and the Swiss Embassy in South Africa for their valuable support and for organising an inspiring event that brought the spirit of global cooperation to life.
More information on the SwissTec Ladies programmes can be found here: www.tecladies.ch
