International Day of Girls in ICT

International Day Girls in ICT is celebrated on the last Thursday of April which was yesterday, the 28th of April 2022.

This year, Buk Bilong Pikinini commemorated the Day by giving our female students at our Koki Library Learning Centre the opportunity to use the Buk Bilong Pikinini Learning App.

As mentioned by UN Women, International Girls in ICT Day is marked “to draw attention to the critical need for more girls and women in the ICT sector. With technology playing a role in all kinds of careers, from art and history to law, primary teaching and graphic design, learning tech skills at a young age will set girls up for economic independence. And, the ICT sector needs more girls and women.”

Buk Bilong Pikinini recognises this need for more girls and women in the ICT sector in PNG and understands that technology is playing a role in all kinds of careers and in the future jobs. In addition to developing an App, BbP has also published a reader entitled “When I grow up I want to be an ICT Officer” featuring 5-year-old Melanie learning from role model David Valentine from Niunet PNG.

The Buk Bilong Pikinini Learning App has been designed to suit PNG children. It features BbP curriculum-based learning games, audio books and stories developed to increase word recognition, spelling, phonics and reading.

Most of the students - not surprisingly - chose the Game feature of the App and enjoyed matching the word to the picture or the picture to the word. Play-based learning is very effective as the students learn while while having fun.

The BbP app is are a great tool for children to learn while having fun but also helps students to improve their ability to use technology.

The BbP learning App has been sponsored by ExxonMobil PNG and is being developed in partnership with Cogniss. The App is introduced to the children in Term 2 as they start to read and need that extra push and fun to take them to independent reading.