Influence of Inspiring Girls Now In Technology Evolution (IGNITE) in Gender equality in Science, Technology, and Mathematics (STEM) Education in Nigeria

This study explored the roles of Inspiring Girls Now in Technology Evolution (IGNITE) in gender equality, through promoting the participation of girls and developing their interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in Nigeria. IGNITE, a nonprofit, is a network of girls and women who inspire and teach each other. The study adopted both descriptive and survey designed method of quantitative paradigm. 200 school girls and 40 female teachers from 20 senior secondary schools in Katsina and Ilorin, of Katsina and Kwara State respectively were sampled, adopting proportional random sampling procedure. A twelve (12) test items with four-Likert summative scale of ‘Excellent Impart (EI); Good Impart (GI); Fair Impart (FI); and No Impart (NI). Descriptive statistical tools were employed and data were analysed using mean and standard deviation. The paper aims to encourage the girls to pursue careers in STEM, to bridging the gender gap, promoting diversity and inclusion, and in providing networking for girls and women in STEM fields. The findings revealed that IGNITE, through its organized programs, it creates powerful networks of support for women at their place of workplace, its community volunteerism supports share values of diversity and inclusion, it inspires girls to pursue STEM subjects with their friends. It removes barriers facing girls of color so they can see themselves represented in STEM, and it advocates initiatives to close gender gap in STEM Education. The study recommends that mentorship programs where female students can connect with female STEM experts be promoted, to draw a robust curriculum in the teaching of coding and other technology skills, focusing on how STEM experts make an impact on the world, and gender biases attached to mathematics be de-emphasized at home and more in schools for improvement of quality of life, inclusiveness and opportunities in Nigeria.