SMART GIRLS HUB(SGH)

Smart Girls Hub (SGH) is centred on offering girls informal educational opportunities in three areas namely Computer Literacy, STEM Education and Craft (CSC). The idea is to provide girls  from their early age with the necessary knowledge and profitable skills needed to become gainfully employed and independent.

We live in an online world and those who are digitally literate are more likely to be economically secure.STEM careers are in high demand and SGH gives non-STEM girls the option of learning a skill and becoming an entrepreneur.Digital marketing skill lessons will help girls leverage on technology to grow their businesses. 

SGH is meant to complement formal education but could also serve as an effective alternative where regular schooling is not possible. For instance, in  conflict zones or impoverished communities our flexible system is such that with computers and a space to sit, there are no barriers to educating girls.

Female youth unemployment is a global problem. According to a report in 2015, girls and young women make up the majority of the world’s 621 million young people aged 15-24 years who are not in education, employment or training.

Unemployment is affecting young women more than young men in almost every part of the world. In Nigeria, the Guardian reported that  in 2018, 26.6% of women within the labour force (aged 16-64 active and willing to work) were unemployed. This figure is 6.3 percentage points higher than the unemployment rate for men. 

Gender inequality is one of  the main obstacles faced by girls and young women when they want to access education.For graduates, an outdated school curricular and lack of employable skills leaves them jobless.Therefore, they resort to menial jobs.

There were 52.6 million domestic workers in the world in 2010, of which 80% are women.Access to education alone does not guarantee employment but the acquisition of employable skills.Digital skills are especially important given that graduate white collar jobs are almost entirely performed on computers and mobile devices.The Nigerian educational system is yet to incorporate this plus lack of entrepreneurial contents continues to create more job seekers than job creators.

SGH attempts to balance the shortcomings of the formal school system where only schools for the rich usually have an updated educational curriculum. Teaching focuses on three areas namely; 

1. Computer Literacy, 
2. STEM Education and
3.  Craft Lessons. 

Classes hold weekdays for six hours and are shared into four categories as explained below. 

Nursery group (aged 3-5 years).Pupils are introduced to three courses to pique interest.

Primary group (aged 6-10 years).Rigorous learning.Exploration of STEM related careers.

Secondary group (aged 11-16 years).Advanced problem solving.Pathways now available in STEM fields. 

Mentors program (aged 17-24 years).Selection of an area of specialization, either in STEM fields or Craft. Here, they get to be mentored by experts from AI and Robotics to Fashion Design and Catering.

Mentors form the bridge between education and employment.They are meant to offer career guidance and opportunities.For every five years, mentees become mentors, thus replenishing the pool of female achievers.

 SGH Innovation Club will be set up for girls while learning to increase interest in pursuing a STEM career.It will serve as a platform for generating ideas and research.

 Teaching methods combines online classes using computers and mobile devices as well as traditional classes using skilled volunteers and child advocacy organisations.

SGH is targeted at girls aged 3-24 years  living in the rural and suburban communities of Nigeria.They are the most marginalized,often lacking access to basic education not to mention digital skills.

Populations in rural areas live in impoverished conditions.The absence of basic amenities takes a toll on young children especially girls. For example  they have to walk very long distances to fetch water and firewood for the family. It is painful that a girl can be called to leave class in other to attend to a family need while the boys stay back to learn.

Yet, these girls have dreams and aspirations.Sadly, in the face of poverty, gender inequality and cultural practices they are not sure how they would succeed.

The  SGH curriculum is tailored to ensure the transition from education to employment.Digital literacy is vital considering that opportunities and access to information and communication technologies is increasingly through digital technologies like mobile devices.STEM education prepares them to aid the advancement of technology and  Craft offers  an alternative platform to be creative and entrepreneurial for those who are not technologically-inclined.

The Mentors program is meant to serve as a guide to girls through their career development stage and ensure employability.

In Nigeria, rural areas lack basic social amenities including schools and  coupled with gender norms, there are more girls hawking than in the classrooms.Outdated school curriculum produces graduates without practical skills and without quality education meaningful employment cannot be gained. 

SGH adopts a flexible informal schooling system that combines relevant knowledge and practical skills for only girls.Online classes gives a global experience and mindset while mentoring replicates expertise.This strategy prepares them for employment/self-employment as early as secondary school.

To ensure greater accessibility to education,our proposed curriculum can be used as an alternative to formal learning in areas of conflict. 

We intend to use computers to teach,adopting audio visual technologies. We will use applications like zoom, skype and YouTube to offer online classes. Software like Mavis Beacon, Corel  Draw and the Microsoft office suites will be used to educate students on computer literacy.

These are well recognised applications and software used in learning environments worldwide.

The Founder;

The program officer;

The Field Officer;

The Social Media Marketer.