Last Updated: December 1, 2023
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham is committed to fostering diversity and inclusivity within its academic community. One significant initiative in this pursuit is encouraging and promoting women’s applications in underrepresented subjects. Historically, fields such as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) have seen a gender imbalance. By actively encouraging and facilitating women’s applications in these subjects, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham aims to bridge this gap and create a more balanced, representative learning environment.
Direct tools like University outreach and collaboration, online women forum, women students’ testimonies are currently implemented as well as indirect tools like active communication on existing Amrita field projects tackling this issue and research on the root cause of women’s under-representation.
“In India, according to the World Bank data, nearly 43%of STEM graduates are women, as opposed to other developed nations like the United States, Canada, and the UK, where there are fewer women – 34%, 31%, and 38%, respectively – studying STEM at the tertiary level
It is one of the highest in the world albeit there is only 14% of scientists, engineers, and technologists in research development institutions and universities”. (Economic Times 8 March 2022).”
Through university outreach, collaboration at regional and national with the government, industry partners and NGOs, Amrita is actively working on under-representation of women applicants in STEM.
As part of its efforts to encourage young women to engage in problem-solving and competitive programming, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham launched a unique Competitive Programming Contest. Following its successful debut in 2021, Amrita hosted the ICPC Algo Queen 2023, a competitive programming contest specifically for school girls. Endorsed by the ICPC Foundation and sponsored by IBM Quantum, Algo Queen provides an inspiring platform for young women to explore and excel in programming.
Algo Queen is endorsed by ICPC Foundation and sponsored by IBM Quantum.
The STEM Exhibition 2023 & Civic Panel “Science Technology Engineering Mathematics (STEM) for Social Good” was organized by Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham as part of its work for Civil20 on April 1st 2023, and hosted by Amrita Vidyalayam Thalassery. The discussion was moderated by Dr Gayathri Manikutty, Assistant Professor, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, School of Social and Behavioural Sciences.
The purpose was to showcase the importance of gender equality and disability inclusion in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math fields, and inspire the student community to take action towards creating a more inclusive and equitable society.
The event was a big success, with the Atal Tinkering Lab (ATL) students attending and engaging in lively discussions about their ATL Marathon projects and gender equality and disability inclusion.
We had a diverse group of speakers including:
They shared personal experiences and perspectives on the importance of gender equality and inclusion in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields, engaging with students throughout the exhibition. The ATL Marathon, a flagship innovation challenge by Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog, invites school students to identify community problems and develop innovative solutions in the form of working prototypes.
The impressive display of STEM projects and innovations showcased at the exhibition included the work of 74 children:40 girls and 34 boys. Over the past three months, 27 teams from Amrita Vidyalayam Thalassery worked diligently on their ATL Marathon 2023 projects.
For further information: Click here
For International Day of Women and Girls in Science on February 11th, 2023, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham co-organized the launch of the “Women in STEM Caravan”, in collaboration with the Centre for Civil Society (CCS) and P&G Shiksha. Held in New Delhi, the event took place as an initiative of the Civil 20 (C20) Working Group on Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment (GEWE).
The Caravan visited several locations in India to examine potential barriers to women in STEM education and careers, provide policy recommendations for India’s G20 Summit in September, and gather best practices (Udaaharan) for education and skill development in this area.
The initiative kickstarted with a powerful roundtable conference. Dr. Bhavani Rao R, Dean of the School of Social and Behavioural Sciences at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, UNESCO Chair on Gender Equality, and Co-Coordinator of the C20 GEWE Working Group, played an active and pivotal role in the discussion, demonstrating a deep commitment to the vision.
Unlocking the potential of women and young girls, which also reaches others living on the margins, enables them to become thriving members of society. In India, this is crucial to bring alive the dream of Amrit Kaal for Bharat.
Between February and March 2023, events for the Women in STEM Caravan were held in Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Baddi in HP.
For further information on the Women in STEM Caravan
ShaktiCon is a free global conference organized by Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham focused on inspiring, training, and upskilling women in cybersecurity.
Born out of an understanding that cultural circumstances do not always encourage women to flourish in male dominated fields, ShaktiCon is committed to creating a suitable environment to showcase the range of talented women in cybersecurity.
Our objective is to train a new generation of women to be more actively engaged in the field and enter the cybersecurity workforce. ShaktiCon is all about women role models inspiring and encouraging young and aspiring women hackers to attain their goals without any fear.
For further information: Click here
ShaktiCOn communication on Facebook: Click here
On April 8, 2023, Haryana’s Chief Minister Manohar Lal inaugurated the Amrita School of Medicine in Faridabad, marking a new milestone for medical education in the state and inviting young women to join the field.
Amrita School of Medicine, sprawling across an area of 5.2 lakh sq. ft, offers 150 MBBS seats for the academic year 2023-24. Indian and international students seeking admission need to appear for the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (UG).
Amrita has also built a one lakh sq.ft. Simulation Learning and Development Centre which would cater to robotic training, haptic-based training surgical training simulation, cadaver, and high-fidelity training for undergraduate and postgraduate students.
Amrita School of Medicine is the 8th campus of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham.
Dr Sanjeev Singh, Medical Director, Amrita Hospital, Faridabad said, “At Amrita Hospital campus in Faridabad, we now host a Medical College and a Nursing College. We are also operating an Allied Health Sciences College that offers 20 to 30 courses that help build capacity and skill sets and supports the clinical teams at the adjacent hospital.”
This event was communicated in social media and printed press to our women prospective students and parents.
For further information: Opening ceremony: Click here
Examples of communication in social media and education portals:
Over the past few years, the Center for Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham developed a specific gender sensitization curriculum in alignment with India’s University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines and recommendations on women’s rights. Its purpose is to create a safe and healthy environment within Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) for women students and employees, essential for fostering quality education and research.
Components of the curriculum include: Self-portraits; Gender Status Quo and Safe Spaces; Gender & Sex; Gender Roles Identity and stereotypes; Gender Spectrum; Role of Toys; Universal Motherhood Value; Movies and Media; Language Matters and Self-Confidence.
The curriculum was deployed for the first time for the Amrita School for Dentistry in Kochi, India, on July 19, 2022. Trained beneficiaries included the Principal, Vice-Principal, and Heads of Departments of the School.
In June 2023, we started a new phase of training directly with the students, especially girls. This initiative was started because we realized that despite having a higher enrollment of female students, very few of them pursue careers as practicing dentists upon course completion, with their male counterparts often outnumbering them and earning better salaries.
To address this disparity, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham’s Center for Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality started a pilot intervention aimed at promoting gender harmony and responsiveness within the educational environment. The pilot study was conducted with 29 students from the June 2023 cohort. It aims to cultivate a gender-sensitive atmosphere for female students and identify key barriers hindering their path to financial independence and pursuing careers in dentistry.
For further information: Click here
Online women forums and thematic videos with women experts and Amrita women faculty who succeeded in their field serve as compelling inspirations. These videos showcase the extraordinary accomplishments of women, igniting motivation in prospective applicants to break barriers and embrace these fields under-represented by women confidently.
Example: Women Scientist Forum at ACNSMM (Nanosciences)
At Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, we recognize that the experiences and achievements of our women students are powerful testaments to the transformative power of education. Hearing the voices of our women students in STEM, their challenges, success, and the opportunities they’ve embraced, is invaluable for prospective applicants aspiring to join Amrita for higher studies.
Below are some examples of online testimonies:
Examples:
Amrita’s UNESCO Chair on Gender Equality and researchers from the research Center for Women”s Empowerment and Gender Equality have authored a book “The Braided River: the Universe of Indian Women in Science”, in collaboration with UNESCO. The book was released by the UNESCO New Delhi office in 2022. Authored by Dr. Christopher Coley, Christie Gressel, Abhijit Dhillon and Dr. Bhavani Rao, this publication examines these barriers and challenges for women in science in the Indian context and provides actionable recommendations to promote and retain women in science education and careers. Click here to read the book
Although India has achieved significant progress in supporting science education for girls at the school level, easing Indian women’s entry to higher-level science studies, and assisting them in their scientific careers throughout the last few decades, Indian women continue to encounter numerous visible and invisible barriers and challenges in their personal lives and professional pathways.
The publication was made as a reference tool for relevant stakeholders to mainstream gender inclusion in the Indian science, Technology and Innovation (STI) ecosystem.
In this publication, the authors provide a summary of accomplishments to date, identify ongoing obstacles, and offer suggestions for further progress. The team has also introduced new ideas and translated them into actionable recommendations aimed at better retaining and promoting Indian women in science education and careers.
For further information on the Braided River: Click here
Since the book’s publication, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham has sustained its efforts to address barriers and challenges to women’s careers in science in India.
In 2023, as part of the Civil20 India Working Group on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, we established a dedicated subgroup on skills and education, with a focus on STEM, and collaborated with hundreds of civil society organizations to develop robust policy recommendations aimed at reducing gender inequality in higher education.
For more information about our policy recommendations (pages 21 to 61 on education and skill development, including STEM initiatives): https://c20.amma.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/C20-india-GEWE-thematic-book.pdf
These recommendations were given to the G20 leaders as part of the C20 Policy Pack: https://c20.amma.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/C20-india-2023-policy-pack-09-08-23-v24-Opt.pdf
We are also exploring collaborations with the Government of India on initiatives to support women pursuing careers in science.
According to World Bank data, Indian women represented 12.7% of those employed in senior and middle management roles in 2023. The BT-MDRA Survey 2022 reported that female students represented 34.5% of entrants in the country’s top 25 management schools for the 2021-22 academic year. Additionally, women constituted 27.5% of graduates in agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and veterinary programs at the tertiary level, as per World Bank data.
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham systematically communicates about major field projects related to women’s empowerment and gender equality contracted with prominent governmental and private institutions. Managed by faculty and students, these projects aim to inspire students to explore underrepresented fields and pursue related career paths. Below is an overview of some active Amrita projects from July 2022 to December 2023.
In collaboration with the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Govt of India and the World Bank, Amrita University has implemented a national skills development program to reach 4,500+ people including women, transgendered communities, and other minority groups.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, rural India grappled with unparalleled. Women and transgender people were hit especially hard as job opportunities dwindled, pushing them further into economic uncertainty.
In response, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham was sanctioned in May 2022 to implement the Govt of India’s SANKALP project—Skill Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion. It supports these communities with the primary objective to empower them economically and promote their leadership development, making a significant step towards fostering a more inclusive and prosperous society.
Participants enthusiastically embarked on their chosen paths, engaging in specialized training for diverse job roles which include, among others, organic farming, mushroom cultivation, seaweed cultivation, general duty assistance, and beekeeping. Graduates have been able to receive MSDE certification and guidance by Amrita University to form collective enterprises.
Our Amrita MSW students actively participated to this project in the different centers, like Palamed in Tamil Nadu, to help the women achieve their goals.
In November 2023, 19 MSW students from Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, along with the team from its Reserch Center for Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality, held meetings with various public, municipal, development and health care instances in the Thirupalaikudi area, to better assess various needs. They also held 3 community events at the Thiruppalaikkudi village: An awareness program on health and hygiene, a cleanup drive, and planting a sacred tree by the village head.
For further information on Sankalp:
The WADI project is an ideal model for developing community independence, including women, and resilience in isolated tribal areas. Throughout India, Indigenous Peoples live disconnected from mainstream culture and survive through their traditional ways. However due to environmental destruction, many now face serious issues such as endemic poverty and lack of essential resources—even food and water.
Under the WADI project, the Center for Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality and School of Social and Behavioural Sciences students work with farmers and landless people of tribal communities in the Hindol Block of Dhenkanal District, Odisha. The poorest of the poor from the villages are the prime recipients. WADI also promotes the participation of women in all sorts of activities and encourages them to actively participate in decision-making processes.
The core approach is to strengthen income generation in a sustainable way by developing agri-horti-forestry in small underutilised plots of land and developing wastelands, with a combination of fruits, forestry, and agriculture interventions, alongside using the latest technologies to address the most complex challenges.
Across six villages, seven cooperative community groups have been established, with approximately 500 direct beneficiaries. The leaders are provided with capacity-building training and then manage all the field activities like plantation, pit digging, care of the saplings, water resource development structures, etc. They then independently keep track of all activities done and process the relevant payment for the services rendered by the beneficiaries of the project, thereby building communal ownership over the process of plant care.
WADI is supported by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, Ministry of Finance, Govt of India.
In November 2023, several Amrita Social Work students went to Tentichira village in Odisha on different occasions to actively contribute to the implementation of the project, along with local communities.
For further information on WADI:
In 2023, the Chancellor of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, was appointed Chair of Civil20 India, the official Engagement Group of G20 India focusing on civil society. Through Civil20, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham collaborated with over 6,000 civil society organizations and participants from 154 countries, developing policy recommendations across various fields, including education and support for underrepresented areas. Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham submitted a policy pack to the G20, with these policies recommendations. Parents and students can review them to understand Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham’s commitment to these crucial initiatives. Below are examples of some key recommendations:
For further information: Click here