Hyderabad :

An alumnus of city-based CHIREC International School, along with two of her undergraduate batch mates from Stanford University, has launched a concept named Girls Code Camp (GCC) which is aimed at creating a network of young women who are confident in their abilities to computer code and use technology to foster change. The Girls Code pilot boot camp at CHIREC is scheduled to be held from June 29 to July 4, 2015.

The trio – Aashna Shroff, Akhila Moturu and John Kamalu – is conducting GCC as a 6-day workshop in partnership with select schools in Hyderabad. Aashna Shroff is a sophomore at Stanford pursuing Computer Science and Economics; Akhila Moturu is a freshman majoring in Computer Science at Stanford University, seeking a minor in Education; and John Kamalu is a freshman interested in Computer Science and Linguistics at Stanford University.

Each workshop is being planned around an innovative theme that allows girls to align their interests with what they are learning. Workshops will be on Mobile App development, web development and hands-on tinkering for 8th to 10th grade girls.

Speaking at the launch of the pilot boot camp at CHIREC, on Saturday, BVR Mohan Reddy, founder and executive chairman, CYIENT and chairman, NASSCOM, told young girls to be fearless and compete with men in every field. He urged the students to make full use of technology around in creating social equity. “Technology today is all pervasive and accessible. It is constant though the velocity of change is increasing. Predictability of technology has come down and ICT is at the pinnacle of the change,” he said. Further, he opined that use of technology can bring about a social transformation in sectors like education, health, hygiene, and agriculture.

“The idea is to bridge the gender disparity in technological fields in India. With better exposure to computer science skills, girls can take charge of their lives and their communities,” said Aashna. According to her, there exists better awareness abroad for bridging gender disparity apart from combat mechanisms in the form of special scholarships for girls, and student groups.

Iffat Ibrahim, principal, explained about the efforts being taken by the school in empowering students. The GCC will be conducted at NASR girls school, Meridian International School, Sreenidhi International School, and Oakridge International School in the city.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express News Service / June 28th, 2015