ITU keen on seeing more young women in ICT, Technology solving driving problems

By Prince Osuagwu

The International Telecommunications Union, ITU, is worried that instead of more participation, more and more young women are shying away from the study of Information and Communications Technology ICT.
The union said it would unravel what is behind the sharp downwards trend in young women opting to study information and communication technology even as ICT qualifications offer good job prospects and higher-than-average remuneration.
It averred that in the US, for example, the proportion of girls studying ICT courses has dropped from a mid-‘80s high of 37% to just 29% today, and is still falling. The scenario is also playing out in other countries of the world including African countries.
Consequent upon that, the Union has slated a meeting in its Geneva headquarters next week, to debate the issue. The duo of ITU’s Senior Communications officer and Chief, Media Relations and Public Information, Toby Johnson and Sarah Parkes noted that with a panel comprising Ministers, top educators, industry experts, media and young students, the debate will look at how ICTs are taught in schools and universities, how girls perceive careers in technology  and what is informing their life choices.
The debate would also look at the cultural and economic barriers mitigating against this and perhaps proffer solutions on possible ways to encourage more girls into the technology field.

Technology to minimize driver distraction

In a related development, experts and executives from the car industry, ICT community, governments, research and development institutes and academia and the general public are also going to pick brains on how to some driving related problems emanating from texting, making calls, and other interaction with in-vehicle information and communication systems while driving.
Though these are serious sources of driver distraction even as they  increase the risk of traffic accidents on the road, many drivers across the world are seen engaging in either one or all of them while driving.
Standards and design guidelines for these systems and devices, whether portable or fixed in the vehicle, can contribute to decreasing driver distraction, allowing the driver to focus on the road ahead.
Perhaps that is why the ITU has introduced the  Fully Networked Car forum to examine this and other topics linking ICTs and vehicles.
The forum would be infused into the Geneva International Motor Show beginning tomorow in Geneva. Part of the agenda would be electric vehicles and Intelligent Transport Systems that offer the potential for cars to foresee and avoid collisions, navigate the quickest route to their destination, make use of up-to-the-minute traffic reports, identify the nearest available parking slot and minimize their carbon emissions.
For the sixth year running, international standards organizations ITU, ISO and IEC say they would be hosting this ground-breaking event, bringing together key players involved in the development of technologies and standards, as well as other major industry representatives.

ITU Sec Gen, Dr Hamadoun Toure