The Issue
The issue
Pakistan is currently home to the second highest number of out-of-school children in the world — and most are girls. Because families are more likely to educate boys than girls, only 26.3% of women participate in the labour force compared to 85.8% of men. To secure jobs and thrive in a modern workforce, girls need digital skills. Without access to STEM education, girls will be unprepared for the future of work.
Lalah Rukh’s approach
STEMAn educator trained in molecular biology and biotechnology, Lalah wants to engage more girls in STEM education. In 2016, she founded Science Fuse, a social enterprise working to make quality science education accessible to marginalised students in Punjab, Pakistan. By holding science workshops and advocating for local policy changes, Lalah hopes to challenge social norms that keep girls from pursuing STEM careers. Lalah and Science Fuse have reached 30,000 students to date.
With her Malala Fund grant, Lalah and her team will hold digital scientific training programmes for teachers at low-income schools across Pakistan. The classes will provide educators with a hands-on science education curriculum to improve girls’ scientific literacy.
To convince leaders to invest more in girls’ education and to challenge social biases against girls studying STEM, Science Fuse will host digital events and conduct social media campaigns highlighting young female scientists and science teachers from across Pakistan. Science Fuse will also conduct online science classes and publish a science book in Urdu and English that features hands-on science experiments aimed at engaging girls in science. The organisation will also conduct in-person science shows, workshops, fairs and storytelling sessions with female scientists in four government girls’ schools in Lahore, Kasur and Sheikhupura.
More about Lalah Rukh
There are 10 other Education Champions working in Pakistan.
