Gender Gap in STEM

• Women are less likely to participate in the larger fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) due to their lack of access to technology and digital tools (STEM).
• In order to close the gender gap in the fields of STEM—science, technology, engineering, and mathematics—the United Nations has emphasised the importance of inclusive technology and digital education.

Highlight

• STEM fields, which stand for science, technology, engineering, and math, continue to be dominated by men.
• Women's underrepresentation in STEM disciplines presents a significant concern given their ubiquitous influence in contemporary life.
• Recently, International Women's Day 2023 (IWD) was commemorated under the subject "DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality".

STEM stands for what?

• Scientists at the American National Science Foundation first used the abbreviation in 2001. (NSF).
• According to the NSF, science and math-related skills will be necessary for 80% of the occupations that are produced in the upcoming ten years.
• STEM is a curriculum-based concept that aims to educate students in 4 distinct areas using an applied, interdisciplinary approach.
• India is One of the nations with the highest production rates of scientists and engineers.

Why Is Gender Equity Important in STEM?

• Lost chances for women: STEM fields provide high-paying employment as well as chances for innovation and promotion. Women lose out on these opportunities when they are excluded from these fields.
• Economic impact: The demand for STEM talents in the world economy is rising. Women's underrepresentation in various sectors can stifle innovation and economic growth.
• Social justice: Patterns of Inequity in Society as a whole are perpetuated by gender inequality in STEM fields. It might make it harder for women to fulfill their potential and fully contribute to society.
• Women in STEM professions can serve as role models and sources of inspiration for other girls and women who may be considering a career in these subjects.
• Women have been noticeably underrepresented in the professional world of STEM fields, such as the IT industry, environment and climate, medical sciences, etc.
• profitable for Employees - According to Pew Research Centre, the average STEM worker makes two-thirds more than those who work in other professions.
• Pay Gap - As a result, the gender pay gap is also impacted by the underrepresentation of women in STEM fields.
• Typically, women are underrepresented in higher-paying occupations like those in STEM sectors and overrepresented in ones that pay less.

Data and Fact

• In higher education around the world, 18% of girls are pursuing STEM degrees compared to 35% of guys.
• There is a gender gap even within the STEM fields, with about equal percentages of boys and girls choosing to pursue the natural sciences while much more boys select to pursue engineering, manufacturing, and construction.
• According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), 20 percent of the males and 41 percent of the women in underdeveloped nations lack literacy.
• When compared to their male counterparts, girls studying in engineering programmes in India at a much lower rate.
• from the data of All India Survey of Higher Education for the period of 2020–2021, there were 36,86,291 students enrolled in UG, PG, and PhD engineering programmes overall, with the 71 percent of them being male and the rest is the female.
• Women outnumbered men in the STEM fields, with a 53 percent female enrollment rate, and there have been recent rises in this proportion. Nevertheless, due to a number of reasons, these increases may not guarantee that employment will rise as well.

Causes of the Gender Gap

• Discrimination in the workplace: Women still experience the same kind of prejudice in the workplace as they do in society.
• When a scientist should start: When women typically get married or have children is also when scientists are at the height of their careers. Their career is delayed as a result. Even a six-month delay in scientific research, especially experimental work, suggests that your work is neglected and that your career will suffer.
• Absence of STEM Institutions: There are no established STEM institutions or colleges in the neighbourhood.
• Absence of female role models in STEM fields has a cascading effect on girls.
• Social views: Despite the availability of resources like mentors and programmes granting scholarships, cultural attitudes towards women's education generally discourage families from making the same investments in it as they do for boys.

Actions required to guarantee gender equality in STEM

• Encourage women and girls to pursue STEM education by ensuring that they have equal access to high-quality STEM education at all levels and by exposing them to STEM fields and vocations from a young age.
• To combat gender stereotypes, educators and employers can seek to foster an inclusive atmosphere that promotes and supports the participation of women in STEM professions.
• Address bias and discrimination: Companies can do this by eliminating it from hiring and promotion processes and by fostering inclusive workplace cultures that promote the progress of women.
• Provide role models and mentoring: Women in STEM can act as mentors and role models for the subsequent generation of female STEM professionals, encouraging and supporting them.
• Advocate for policy change: Politicians can enact legislation that support gender equality in STEM, such as financing for initiatives that support women's participation in STEM disciplines, family-friendly workplace rules, and equal pay laws.

Government Step

• The Vigyan Jyoti Program promotes female students in grades 9 through 12 to study and work in the field of science and technology, especially in fields where women are underrepresented.
• National Prize for Women in Science: A special honour known as the "National Award for Woman Scientist" is given to one woman scientist each year on Foundation Day in order to highlight the contributions made by women scientists in the field of Earth System Sciences.

The Department of Science and Technology's Gender Advancement for Transforming Institutions (GATI) pilot project promotes gender parity in science and technology. 30 academic and research institutions have been chosen by DST for the first phase of GATI, with an emphasis on the representation of women in leadership positions, faculty, and the number of female students and researcher

Indian Border Management

• The Ministry of Defence underlines the importance of keeping a close eye on the northern and western coastlines and borders.

Highlight

• The Indian defence minister emphasised the necessity for re-strategic planning at the Navy Commanders Conference aboard INS Vikrant due to the dynamic nature of the global environment.
• The discussion stressed the unpredictable nature of upcoming confrontations and the need for ongoing surveillance throughout the entire coastline and on the northern and western borders.
• India's economy is predicted to undergo a transformation thanks to the defence industry, which is predicted to get orders worth more than $100 billion over the next five to ten years.

Data and Fact

• India shares its more than 15,000 kilometres of land border with seven other nations (Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Bhutan, and Afghanistan).
• It also boasts a 7,500 km long coastline. So, it becomes crucial that we build the ability to defend our border regions with numerous nations with which we have very different security connections and in a variety of terrains.
• In the case of India, boundaries are exceedingly complicated and practically every sort of extreme topography is present at various borders, including deserts, agricultural regions, marshy marshes, and tropical evergreen jungles.

What is Border Management

• One of the main goals of border management is to protect the country's borders from forces that are antagonistic to it and to set up procedures that can thwart them while promoting legal trade and commerce.

Challenges to Border Management

• Ineffective border management: The military and police forces that protect Indian borders continue to answer to various ministries at the federal level and in the states, making the role of border management difficult and resulting in duplication of effort by the security forces.
• Vital infrastructure is absent in many border areas, which also prevents the deployment of high-tech equipment. Examples of such infrastructure include observation towers, bunkers, border flood lights, and others.
• Inadequate intelligence and resource efficiency: Due to inadequate intelligence capabilities and significant resource shortages, security personnel are ill-prepared to undertake border operations.
• Geographical obstacles: It is difficult to keep constant monitoring due to the hard topography of India's northern and western borders, which includes mountains, deserts, and forests.
• Ethnic disputes and separatist movements: As a result of illegal immigration, several Border States' demographics have altered, and there has been a change in the ethnic makeup of localities, which has made the issue worse.
• Overpopulation in border regions: On the Indian side of the border, certain localities have a population density of 700–800 people per square kilometre, and 1,000 people or so on the Bangladesh side.
• India's security is impacted directly or indirectly by the political unrest and instability in its surroundings. The likelihood of proxy conflict between India and Pakistan increases.
• Attempts at infiltration: Because the borders are permeable, they are open to attacks from smugglers, terrorists, and other criminals.

Need for Border Management

• India's sovereignty is protected in part by vigilant guarding of its borders and coastline, which serve as the first line of defence for the nation.
• Economic development: India's ports and coastal regions are crucial for the country's development, and vigilance is necessary to maintain their safety and security.
• Disaster management: In coastal locations, natural disasters like cyclones and tsunamis can result in significant property damage and fatalities.
• National security: A number of nations, including some with which India has a history of hostility, border India.
• To preserve national security and ward off any security concerns, these regions require ongoing attention.

Government Step to Secure Border

• Deployment of forces
• An anti-infiltration grid is formed by the deployment of the Indian Army and BSF in several tiers.
• The installation of various surveillance tools and the border barrier have reduced intrusions.
• The surgical strikes carried out by our armed forces in response to terrorist acts backed by Pakistan's ISI were successful in conveying our military's unwavering commitment to combating the threat of terrorism and proxy conflicts.
• Using contemporary technology To effectively monitor the border, the government has put sophisticated technology like unmanned aerial vehicles, radars, and sensors to use.
• Border security forces have been strengthened by the government, which has also given them improved tools and training. These forces include the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and the Border Security Force (BSF).
• More than 100 projects in border regions, the most of which were close to the Chinese border, were completed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO).
• India is moving more quickly to complete the Nimu-Padam-Darcha axis, which will make it easier for troops to travel from various regions of the nation to Ladakh.
• Cross-border connectivity: To increase the security of the border regions, the government is also concentrating on enhancing cross-border connectivity through road, rail, and air networks.

Various recommendations for proper border management

• If borders are to be effectively administered, the "Single Point Control" or "One-Force-One-Border" principle must be followed. Effective control is impossible with divided roles.
• As and when contemporary surveillance assets can be routinely delivered to the formations deployed forward, developments in surveillance technology can serve to keep a constant vigil along the LAC and enable the reduction of physical deployment.
• Similar to this, having more helicopter units at hand will improve aerial observation quality and the capability of moving troops to quickly take up defensive positions when required.
• The other central paramilitary forces (CPMFs), such as the BSF and ITBP, should be able to resume their core function of better border management as a result of the Central Reserve Police Force's (CRPF) recent designation as the nation's counterinsurgency force.
• Additionally, it is advised that the army should exercise direct command over all paramilitary troops in charge of uncontrolled borders.
• To improve the operational efficacy of the paramilitary forces, there should be lateral induction from the army.
• The national security apparatus currently deals with more border management issues than just external threats to India's security.

Way Forward

The government should settle any outstanding border conflicts with its neighbours before they become threats to national security. The border patrol should not be diverted from its main duty and assigned to other internal security responsibilities

National Assessment and Accreditation Council

• The National Assessment and Accreditation Council has recently come under fire from the office of the Comptroller and Auditor General for errors in its assessment procedures.

About NAAC

• The University Grants Commission (UGC) established the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) in 1994 as an independent organisation with its headquarters in Bengaluru.
• In accordance with the UGC Act 1956, the Department of Higher Education established the University Grants Commission, a statutory agency tasked with coordinating, establishing, and maintaining the standards of higher education in India.
• Making quality assurance a crucial component of higher education institutions' operations is the mission of NAAC, which is expressed in its vision statement.
• With grades ranging from A++ to D, it evaluates and certifies Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).
• Whether or not a higher education institution satisfies the requirements of quality specified by the evaluator in terms of curriculum, faculty, facilities, research, and other parameters, it is accredited through a multi-layered procedure.

Process of Accreditation

• The NAAC is contacted by the institute to begin the accreditation process.
• A self-study report (SSR), containing data on both quantitative and qualitative measures, must be submitted by the applicant.
• The data is subsequently verified by NAAC expert teams, and then peer teams made up of assessors selected from universities all around India make site visits.

Initiatives

• The UGC introduced a programme called "Paramarsh" in 2019. In accordance with the plan, several of the top-performing institutions were chosen to mentor at least five other institutions applying for accreditation.
• The NAAC has considered the idea of granting Provisional Accreditation for Colleges (PAC), a two-year accreditation that would be available to institutions that had been operating for one year.

For the next 15 years, all higher education institutions are expected to achieve the highest level of accreditation, according to the National Education Policy (2020).