In the African nation of Rwanda, girls make up nearly half of the total enrollments at the high school level. But only 14 percent of the students in higher education in Rwanda are women.
A new program funded by the African Development Bank is aiming to increase the number of women studying in science and technology disciplines. Students accepted into the program typically fall short of the qualifications for entry into higher education programs in these fields. But they are given a six-month, intensive training program in science with the hope that at the end of the program the women will qualify for university admission.
To date 191 women have been accepted into the program. Results for the first group of women who participated in the program show that they are able to gain admission and perform well once enrolled in higher education.
