Kabale University, in collaboration with various educational institutions and organizations, has launched an initiative to promote algebra among girls at lower education levels in African countries.
This initiative, titled “Inaugural African Women in Algebra,” involves algebra experts visiting secondary schools to encourage female students to pursue mathematics.
Algebra, the branch of mathematics dealing with abstract symbols and their manipulation, is often perceived as challenging. The initiative aims to dispel this notion and demonstrate that girls can excel in mathematics.
Partnering institutions include the Centre International De Mathématiques Pures Et Appliquées (CIMPA), International Mathematical Union – Committee for Women in Mathematics (IMU – CWM), International Mathematical Union – Commission for Developing Countries (IMU – CDC), European Mathematical Society – Committee for Developing Countries (EMS-CDC), International Science Programme at Uppsala University (ISP), African Women in Mathematics Association (AWMA), University of Vienna, and London Mathematical Society (LMS).
Dr. Sarah Nakato, head of African Women in Algebra, stated that female mathematics experts from Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Benin, Cameroon, South Africa, Ghana, Ethiopia, and Madagascar are convening at Kabale University for six days.
They will meet with female students from various secondary schools in the Kigezi region to encourage them in their mathematical studies.
The initiative follows research indicating that negative attitudes towards mathematics contribute to the lower number of female mathematics experts globally. Dr. Nakato emphasized that these attitudes are based on misconceptions that need to be addressed.
Professor Joy Constance Kwesiga, Vice Chancellor of Kabale University, noted that the initiative is timely. She critiqued the Ugandan government’s approach to improving science education, which focuses on higher pay for teachers rather than addressing the underlying reasons why students struggle with science subjects.
Dr. Daniel Buyinza, a lecturer in the department of Chemistry at Kabale University, shared his own experience of abandoning mathematics due to harsh disciplinary measures in primary school.
This collaborative effort seeks to change the narrative and inspire a new generation of female mathematicians in Africa.
