by Hugh C.n. Miller | Jul 2, 2021 | Old News
Girls in ICT
An Interview with Fanisa Mkansi
Usually, when we hear or speak about new technology, we automatically assume that there must be a man behind the innovation.
However, women have played a vital role in the development of technology and ICT. From Ada Lovelace, the “First Programmer” who foresaw the rise of the computer almost two hundred years ago; to Margaret Hamilton whose code let a man land on the moon for the first time.
In this article, we spoke to Fanisa Mkansi about her journey becoming an IT facilitator and her advice for other women interested in carrying on this proud legacy.
How did your teaching career start?
“It started when I was in grade 10, we used to do Mathematics, so after school, I used to sit down with the other students and then assist them with Mathematics. Sometimes they would come to my place at home for assistance.
Another thing that pushed me towards teaching/facilitating is that my sister’s mom is a teacher. She was teaching Mathematics at her school, so she used to take me with her most of the time on Saturdays and Sundays as she used to conduct classes for learners who are behind, so I also used to assist her with those learners.”
How did you come about being an IT Facilitator?
“It started when I was in college, but my aim was not to become a facilitator; I was just volunteering to assist students in college with IT, especially new students.
I used to facilitate them, basically guiding them on how the IT industry works and how to use computers, so that’s how I started loving being an IT Facilitator.
That experience helped me to see that being an IT facilitator could be my dream job one day.”
So when you got an opportunity to be an IT facilitator at ORT, how did you feel?
“Wow, I was so happy because I can say it was my first professional job that I got so it made me realize that this is the opportunity for me to grow and to learn more because ORT gave me a chance to do something that I’ve been doing for the past few years, so it was a dream come true.”
What would you say to other women considering a career in IT?
“I will say to all the ladies out there when it comes to the subject of IT; I know that most of you run away and say it’s difficult.
But what I have learned is that everything is difficult when you look at it from afar but try to understand it; by doing that, you get to see and know that IT is not that difficult as people say it is.
As long as you focus and tell yourself that you want to achieve that goal, you will achieve it.”
Thank you to Fanisa for sharing her experiences with us, and we wish her all the best in her career.
If you’d like to help more women like her fulfil their dreams of working in the ICT sector, partner with ORT SA or donate today and help us Educate for Life.
by Hugh C.n. Miller | Apr 7, 2020 | Uncategorized
(Insight from Webinar http://www.ort.mx organised by ORT University Mexico)
by ORT SA CEO, Ariellah Rosenberg.
One of the things that Covid19 brought with (together with worldwide chaos and uncertainty) is the understanding, that this is a crisis, in its full definition; the virus targets human lives, is unexpected, it creates uncertainties and poses a threat to human existence.
Another interesting phenomena is happening, almost parallel to the spread of the virus; the break through of usage of virtual platforms such as Zoom, MS Teams, Google Hangouts and YouTube streaming. Many of the online webinars and forums are dealing with the crisis in various ways, from the psychological to professional and economic impacts.
One of the most interesting virtual webinar I attended, recently, was organised by the University of ORT Mexico and World ORT, discussing ‘education in times of crisis’. What I found enlightening in the discussion by top professors in the field of education, is the forward thinking and ‘out of the box’ ideas that were shared with almost 500 participants from all over the world.
Ms. Mariana Ludmila Cortés who is the former Vice-president for development of One Laptop Per Child (OLPC), where she traveled to over 40 countries developing and implementing large scale education projects for disadvantaged children, claimed that there is a crisis in education worldwide, regardless of Covid19. According to World Bank (2018), globally, 6 out of 10 children and youth are not meeting proficiency levels in reading and mathematics despite of completing years of schooling in the developing world. The Learning crisis calls us to be specific with the terms we are using while trying to tackle the problem. Learning vs Teaching ; Education vs Schooling. She suggested that we need to change HOW we deliver education and urged people to take charge of their own learning.
Prof. Sidney Strauss Director of Research at Ammachilabs, professor at Amrita University and former Professor of Education has vast years of research in education. He shared the finding, that children are able to teach each other (from as early as one year old). Teaching is natural to human beings. He claims that evidence in caves of our ancestors shows that, already at the times when human were making stone tools, they had managed to transfer the knowledge.
If this is the case, what are the implications on education? we need to rethink of schools and the roles they play. We need to find ways to harness this natural ability of people to teach and for children to teach each other.
Prof. Moisés Salinas Fleitman Rector of the ORT University Mexico, examined the roles of education in times of crisis. In addition to the obvious roles of being a source of reassurance , reducing stress and ensuring delivery of practical and psychological tools to confront the crisis, he added that the crisis could be seen as an opportunity for innovation. Crisis has a disruptive manner and it could be a tool for us to switch from threat to opportunity for innovation in education.
I do believe that, we now have an opportunity to analyse the disruption in a creative and collaborative manner. We could learn from different industries and how they have been adjusting to the changes (such as communicating and expanding stakeholders networks through virtual platforms). We also have to be mindful about those communities that do not have the privilege of technology and accessibility to connectivity.
by Hugh C.n. Miller | Dec 18, 2018 | Uncategorized
ORT is to be honoured with a prestigious humanitarian award presented by one of the world’s leading social justice campaigners. The organisation has been chosen as a recipient of the Let Freedom Ring Award, in honor of our commitment to equality in education and our efforts to bridge the gap between ability and opportunity. The award is presented by veteran activist Reverend Jesse Jackson, who was a friend and ally of Martin Luther King.
Rev Jackson bestows the honor via the Rainbow Push Coalition which he founded and now serves as president. The coalition was created out of the social justice movement that sought progressive economic, educational and social policies in the United States in the 1960s and ever since. Former recipients of the award include Nobel laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
In his letter to Avi Ganon, World ORT Director General and CEO, and Conrad Giles, World ORT President, announcing the decision to recognize ORT’s work, Rev Jackson wrote: “For decades now, World ORT has been an unmistakable knowledge-based economy that prioritizes intellectual capital in all aspects of life and society.
“Besides, there are clear indications that the future belongs to those who not only possess the right kind of intellectual capital but also invest it wisely in providing cost-effective and accessible solutions to various socio-economic and political challenges in society.
“That’s why the life-changing work of World ORT in empowering the next generation with increased access to quality education is vital. So we deem it fit to honor the organization with the Detroit Let Freedom Ring Humanitarian Award.”
Mr Ganon responded: “I would like to express how grateful and honored we are to have been chosen to receive the Let Freedom Ring Humanitarian Award. “Our mission is to empower the next generation through innovative education, working to ensure that all communities receive equal opportunities to build successful lives for themselves. It was what prompted our predecessors to establish ORT in 1880 and it is what continues to motivate us today.
“To have this work recognized – and to be associated with Dr Martin Luther King and yourself – is a great privilege, and an additional inspiration and motivation for the important work that remains for us to carry out in the future.” The award will be presented at a public ceremony in Detroit, Michigan, during the North American International Auto Show on Dr Martin Luther King Day – January 21, 2019.
