It was a historic moment for Girls in ICT Day as for the first time in the 13-year history of the event, boys were invited to be part of it.

The Information, Communication and Technology sector is growing rapidly and the initiative is to ensure there is participation from young women in the field given that Science, Technology and Mathematics are dominated by girls in Samoa.

The Chief Executive Officer for the Ministry of Communication, Information Technology Afioga Lefaoalii Unutoa Aoelua Fonoti in her keynote address said the annual event hosted by the Office of the Regulator was in line with international programmes of the International Telecommunications Union.

“This is the thirteenth event of its kind in Samoa, and in 2018 we celebrated it on the big island of Savaii for the first time. Taking this to Savaii was a great achievement for us in bringing awareness to the ladies living on the Big Island,” she said.

This year’s theme for the Girls in ICT Day celebrations was “Leadership” to underscore the critical need for strong female role models in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

“Although the situation in Samoa is different, with women (girls) outnumbering men (boys) in filling high-skill occupations, the boys' participation in STEM-related fields continues to be low,” Afioga said.

“In terms of Leadership roles in the workforce, the situation is quite different. Women (girls) are nearly absent from software development, engineering, technology research, academia as well as at the highest levels of policy-making.

“Girls in ICT often find themselves in junior or supporting roles rather than in managerial roles, with little opportunity for advancement. They are also less likely to hold an executive position, become ICT entrepreneurs or be represented among science and technology policymakers.

“To succeed in STEM, girls and young women must be exposed to women in leadership positions, fostering inspiration and breaking barriers that hinder their progress.”

Alex Meredith of Faatuatua College said it was important to have both genders succeed in ICT Programmes to ensure a gender-balanced workforce in the future.

Adrian Clay a Science student from Chanel College stated that he struggled in a female dominated programme because he saw that many of the STEM subjects had more girls succeed within his schools than boys.

"It's quite challenging. There are not many boys who have been given the chance to be here but I'm happy that boys have been asked to join this year," he said.

As lead up to the Day, girls from different schools are given science and ICT-related projects that they present on the day.