UNESCO, and the Symbiosis Skills and Professional University, organised a two-day workshop “Jaago: Girls Leading STEM for Sustainable Futures” – to make STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) relevant to girls’ daily lives and aspirations.
By combining mentorship and hand-on exercises, the workshop equipped 60 girls from Classes 9 and 10 in government schools with practical skills on three themes: Robotics, Green Skills & Artificial Intelligence, and Health & Well-Being.
The event took place at the Symbiosis Skills & Professional University (SSPU), Pune, in a workshop format designed to combine STEM awareness, skills, and mentorship.
Guided by mentors, students embarked on a structured learning journey built around their interests – learning about India’s green economy and sustainability, artificial intelligence, robotics, nutrition, and healthcare. Career pathways in emerging STEM fields including EVs, AI, logistics, marketing, and healthcare were showcased through hands-on sessions. In addition, students were introduced to scholarship opportunities and support mechanisms that can help them pursue further studies in STEM.
In line with a credit-based model, the students earned points for their participation, teamwork, and reflection, that could be exchanged for UNESCO merchandise at the end of the sessions.
STEM is not just about equations or algorithms—it is about solving real-world challenges: building resilient communities, advancing green technologies, and ensuring health and well-being for all. Girls and women are central to this mission. Together, we are building pathways where every girl belongs and every girl can lead.
Jian Xi TengProgramme Specialist, Education Sector, UNESCO Regional Office for South Asia
Workshops like these further UNESCO’s work in advancing gender equality in the STEM fields – serving as targeted interventions to address women’s challenges in pursuing an education and/or a career in STEM.
In India, women account for around 43 percent of STEM graduates, yet their representation in the STEM workforce remains at 27 percent. Globally, women comprise just 28.2 percent of the STEM workforce, compared to 47.3 percent in non-STEM sectors.
UNESCO is committed to bridge these gaps and ensure that girls remain engaged and supported throughout their educational journey – promoting a vision of education where girls see themselves as future engineers of the green transition, ethical leaders in artificial intelligence, and innovators in their own communities.
Symbiosis Skills and Professional University, Pune was recently awarded the UNESCO Chair in Gender Inclusion and Skill Development. The UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs Programme, launched in 1992, promotes international inter-university cooperation around the world to advance UNESCO’s mandate in education, the natural and social sciences, culture and communication, to help address the pressing challenges of our times.
