Mastercard announces expansion of Girls4Tech programme in India

The programme aims at benefitting over 14,400 girls from 40 government schools in Delhi. 

Mastercard has announced the expansion of its signature Girls4Tech, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education programme in India.  

Supported by the Mastercard Impact Fund, and in partnership with the American India Foundation (AIF), the programme aims at reaching an additional one lakh female students across the country by 2024 to encourage them to take up STEM education. This includes 14,400 students in Delhi as well as onboard 40 additional government schools where STEM courses will be offered to girls aged 8 to 14. 

Narrowing the gender gap

Mathew Joseph, Country Director, American India Foundation said, “The under-representation and disparity of women in STEM are results of deep-rooted social biases, and expectations, influencing the quality of education they receive and the subjects they study. The lack of female leaders and role models in STEM is also a barrier and one of the key drivers behind the gender gap in labour market success. American India Foundation is committed to intervening measures that focus on attracting young girls to STEM subjects, and our partnership with Mastercard on Girls4Tech is one such step’’. 

Launched in 2014, Girls4Tech aimed at creating future problem solvers, incorporating Mastercard’s deep expertise in technology and innovation. The program aims to enable girls to discover a range of STEM careers, such as fraud detective, data scientist and software engineer.  

In the spirit of Mastercard’s ethos of “Doing Well by Doing Good”, since 2015, more than 700 Mastercard employee volunteers hosted multiple Girls4Tech events across Pune, Vadodara, Mumbai and Gurugram and held India-wide virtual sessions reaching over 110,000 students aged 8-16. 

Through the website Girls4Tech Connect, teachers and parents can download lessons to help students learn about STEM topics, including encryption, fraud detection, data analysis and digital convergence, from home or anywhere in the world. The curriculum, which includes topics such as AI and cybersecurity, is also available in Hindi, English, Chinese, Malay, Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese, French and Polish. 

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