In this episode, Dr Nadia Al-Aboody speaks about her experiences of returning to Iraq as an academic after completing her PhD from the United Kingdom (UK). She speaks about the shortcomings of education in Iraq with a focus on Information Communication Technology (ICT). There is a considerable discussion about the new steps being taken by the Government of Iraq to improve the country’s education system and areas of development. Nadia speaks to us about how she set up coding clubs in Iraq and how it is revolutionising Iraq in two ways – 1) removing the stigma around women who can code and work in technology and 2) empowering the country’s human capital by teaching children to code from a very young age. There is a candid discussion about the role technology can play in education and training and the episode ends on a reflective note on how proper education can take any nation to success.
Nadia is an academic in the field of Computer Science and a female pioneer in this space in Iraq. Currently, she is the Head of Computer System Department of Amara Technical Institute and Head of the E-Learning committee at Southern Technical University, Iraq. Nadia is a strong advocate for women’s empowerment and is an educationist who is championing the introduction of modern employability skills and ICT training into the Iraqi education system. She has introduced coding clubs for children in Iraq which are being run primarily by female trainers.
“For the past few months, we have been trying with the Raspberry Pi Foundation to propose a curriculum in primary schools based on employability skills needed today…This is something our government needs to consider…and as a mother I see the difference in my own children from such skills development.” — Dr Nadia Al-Aboody
“I think world over, even in the West, we do not have education right.” — Dev Aditya
“If you want to build nations you need to provide a good education system, and if you want to destroy a nation you just take out the education.” – Dr Nadia Al-Aboody
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