About Us
The Induze Project
The induze project is an education innovation nonprofit dedicated to the vision that every student in every secondary school has the opportunity to learn computer science as part of their core basic education. We expand access to computer science in schools, with a focus on increasing participation by young women and students from other underrepresented groups. The Induze project plans to increase diversity in computer science by reaching students of all backgrounds where they are — at their skilllevel, in their schools, and in ways that inspire them to keep learning. The vast majority of the students that the induze project target are from student groups historically underrepresented in computer science. Increasing diversity in computer science is foundational to our work
Approach To Diversity And Equity In Computer Science
The fields of software, computing, ICT and computer science are plagued by stark underrepresentation by gender, ethnicity, geography, and family income. While almost all the secondary schools in Nigeria offer foundational computer science, unevenness in access persist. Rural schools, urban schools, waterfront communities and schools with high percentages of economically disadvantaged students are less likely to offer computer science. This problem extends to university programs and to the software workplace, which suffer a similar lack of diversity. There are many issues to address to solve the entire problem of diversity in the tech workforce – from bias in hiring, retention, and promotion practices to capacity-building in university programs
Our Focus: Computer Science In Secondary Schools
More important than the tech workforce pipeline, computer science is now a foundational subject for all 21st century careers, making access in secondary schools to this knowledge an equity issue that must be addressed. Studies show that children who study computer science perform better in other subjects, excel at problem-solving. But access to computer science is unequal. A student’s opportunity should not be determined by their family income, or the neighborhood they grow up in. But in the Nigeria, the opposite is true when it comes to Secondary school computer science
OUR GOAL
Our goal at The Induze project is for every student in every school to have the opportunity to learn computer science, and to reach balanced representation in secondary schools. Working towards that goal, we use a holistic approach that spans marketing, curriculum, professional learning, and government policy to close gaps in participation and improve equity across gender, income, and geography. We measure our success not only by the total number of students learning computer science, but also by the participation of students from underrepresented groups. Because computer science is a foundational subject, the induze project courses are designed to enable every student to participate — with no prerequisite knowledge or background with technology. We also aim to introduce students to learning computer science at an early age, before stereotypes influence their decisions