Opening a new world of technological possibilities for Tajik women
Alif Academy Director Habiba Aslonova explains how the Academy encourages Tajik women to pursue careers in technology to improve themselves, their families and Tajikistan’s economy as a whole. This section explains.
tomorrow International Women’s Dayand this year’s festival has a clear technical focus. #EmbraceEquity In its campaign message, the United Nations chose to celebrate girls and women as ambassadors of innovative technology, digital education and opportunity, and to raise awareness of some of the challenges facing women and girls in the digital sphere. bottom.
today and tomorrow computing It will honor the programs and people who bring opportunities to women in a country often overlooked in the discussion of women’s opportunities in technology.The first of these is alif academy, Technical training center based in Tajikistan offering free technical programming courses from coding to quality assurance to project management.established byalif bank (an Islamic fintech company based in Tajikistan) is offering free training courses to Tajikistan residents aiming for tech jobs in 2017. The academy offers both basic and specialized courses and the director is Habiba Aslonova, who is 24 years old.
change life
Although male graduates currently outnumber females, Aslonova is working hard to increase enrollment of women and girls. She commented:
“Since our inception, we have 2,320 graduates. 448 are women and girls, 37 of whom are from rural areas. 625 have graduated from professional courses, of which 95 are girls and women. , actively assisting graduates and advanced course graduates.We employ 180 people, of whom 27 are girls and women.
“We understand that the number of girls and women employed through our courses is low, but we continue to develop our courses to ensure that we get as many positive cases as possible. Proud to have helped girls and women find new, promising jobs.
“For example, our student worked as an accountant for 15 years and was not given any support or opportunities to grow. Every time I roam the streets of Dushanbe and thank Alif Academy for the opportunities I have been given.”
fight against stereotypes
Aslonova acknowledges that considerable work still needs to be done to improve the life potential of women and girls in the region.
“First and foremost, we need to work on getting rid of stereotypes. From an early age, society somehow inculcates the existence of ‘female’ and ‘male’-only professions,” she says. .
“Negative stereotypes about what women should be like, how they should behave, what they should look at as careers and goals are particularly prevalent in countries in our region where stereotypes are more entrenched. So, it’s formed at an early age.We see men sitting in groups of women, and women are shy and ask questions or just show up.It’s uncomfortable.”
The observation that women and girls cannot be their true selves in a group and the existence of centuries of stereotypes internalized in both men and women have led to the creation of several women-only courses. I got
“We provide courses for girls to understand the role of information technology in today’s world, to believe in their own abilities, to succeed in this field, and to break the stereotype that ‘IT is not for women’. We believe that gender diversification will increase the number of women in the workforce, which will have a direct positive impact on the country’s economy and help eliminate the shortage of qualified technical professionals. We believe that, at an organizational level, gender balance contributes to employee productivity and creativity in the company.”
Though realistic, Aslonova is also optimistic. Even though Tajik women are raised within boundaries that men drew long ago, progress is being made to make those boundaries more flexible. It unsurprisingly points out that women’s technical role is still underestimated not only in the West but also in Asia.
“In recent years, women and girls have begun to learn new professions, have received decent education, and to some extent have been freed from the financial dependence of their spouses. The Government of Tajikistan has adopted the “National Development Strategy 2030” together with the “National Development Strategy 2030”. To activate the roles of women and girls.
“Removing gender restrictions will contribute to a more inclusive economy in Tajikistan where women will have more opportunities to reach their full human potential. , my job is to enable women to take advantage of jobs and careers in IT.After all, this is a field that even in the West is trying to address issues of equality and diverse representation.
“The fact that we are talking about this issue is a very important development, and seeing companies like Alif Bank launching initiatives like Alif Academy is a big step towards promoting inclusion in digital education. It is essential in promoting and opening up a new world of possibilities for Tajik women.A career in technology and finance has been utterly unattainable.”
https://www.computing.co.uk/interview/4077069/world-tech-possibilities-women-tajikistan Opening a new world of technological possibilities for Tajik women
