Ailin Nurasheva, an activist from Kazakhstan, is promoting inclusive education for rural children and supporting girls to succeed in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
With the support of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), she was elected as a member of the United Nations Youth Advisory Board in Kazakhstan, contributing to strengthening the voice of young people.
Promoting inclusive education for rural children
At the age of 18, Ailin heads the OQU Foundation, an NGO that provides children from rural areas of Kazakhstan with access to high-quality inclusive education.
The organization, in partnership with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and supported by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, aims to meet the needs of students, including providing equipment such as laptops and travel subsidies.
In the first year of the project, 330 Kazakh students completed their studies at OQU and 91 students were accepted into prestigious selective educational institutions. Thanks to these efforts, they received a total of 3.116 million USD in grants.
In addition, Ailin co-founded the YMB social organization, which focuses on comprehensive education in economic and business management for school-age children across Kazakhstan.
YMB is developing a web platform and app that educates young people about financial, economic and business literacy through a combination of theory and practice. The organization also organizes workshops, lectures, forums and competitions to promote engagement and awareness in the above mentioned areas.
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Helping Girls Succeed in STEM
Ailin believes that STEM is one of the most attractive career options today. She sees STEM not only connecting fields but also helping to solve global problems by applying theoretical knowledge from many scientific disciplines.
Ailin's interest in STEM stems from the great prospects of applying STEM knowledge to life.
“I think there needs to be more opportunities and events for girls, including forums and workshops featuring outstanding women in STEM,” Ailin said. “These successful role models can inspire and encourage them to get involved and achieve success.”
Alin also stressed the need for awareness campaigns to combat gender bias, suggesting that educational institutions should introduce programmes focused on empowering girls.
She said it was also important to have positive media representations so people could see examples of successful women who were challenging traditional gender roles.
Finally, Ailin hopes that young people interested in STEM will constantly push themselves beyond their comfort zone by participating in various competitions and events.
According to her, winning is not the only goal; the experiences gained from these activities can broaden one's perspective and professional network.
According to data from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), less than 30% of researchers worldwide are female, and only 30% of female students choose STEM-related fields in higher education. In Kazakhstan, the proportion of women in STEM fields is 21%-25%. The Central Asian country is working to attract more women to the field.
Source: UN Women
Source: https://phunuvietnam.vn/moi-co-gai-deu-xung-dang-co-co-hoi-de-phat-huy-tiem-nang-trong-stem-20240910151705501.htm
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