Interview of Joy Knowles – International Day of the Girl Child 11 October

Good day Joy and thank you for agreeing to this interview.  

The 11 October is observed annually by the United Nations as the International Day of the Girl Child.  As we observe this day, I would like for you to share your views on a few topics as a teenage student enrolled in high school.

Interviewer: In some countries including The Bahamas there are generally less teenager girls studying STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) subjects in high school and university.  This results in fewer girls/women pursuing careers directly connected with STEM.  Do you have any idea why and what can be done to change this?

Joy: Many girls in high school are not interested in those subjects. I myself find science and math in particular to be very challenging. Some of the main problems that affected the learning of mathematics were  poor teaching  and lack of facilities. We don’t get excited about numbers and formulas like the way we get excited about other subjects. We see math as irregular figures that are difficult to understand, and as for science I take biology, if I don’t want to study biology in high school why would I pick a career what requires me to study it more in college ?? I want to be a nurse but when I think about it, it’s not for me. Things like this really do mess up your career path.

Personally I feel like the best way to change this situation is for the teachers to change their attitude towards it. You can’t expect to be a teacher and want to have attitude when a student ask you to explain the topic more. If we don’t understand what you want us to do? That’s why you are here to make sure that we understand, to help us. Science and Math are already confusing. Try not to make it harder on us. Try to make learning fun, but us as students must also try to work along with the teacher it may be hard but we have to persevere. I think once you have a passion for these subjects in high school then it shouldn’t be no problem for you to pursue your career that are connected with those subjects .

Interviewer: On a scale of 1 to 100 with 1 being least important and 100 being most important, how important is it to you to have access to the internet in school and home to support your education? 

Joy: It is 100% important to me to have internet access at home to support my education, because I want to graduate and excel in life, and if I don’t have internet access that will affect my attendance which will result in me not getting a high school diploma, and not graduating. I need internet to search for information related to curriculum, exams scholarships, universities etc…. Having access to the internet allows me to take charge of my education. If I don’t have internet access I feel like I will miss out on a huge educational opportunity, which will impact my future. The internet has been essential in the world today, everything is online now. I’ve realized that internet is no longer a luxury, but it’s now a basic necessity. I can’t begin to imagine my life without internet. Internet can improve the quality of education. It is the basic need of technological world, anything I need help with pertaining to school I can search the internet. I learn better off the internet compare to my teachers teaching me.

Interviewer: Do you and your female friends have any concerns about changes in the climate?

Joy: Yes, we do. We live in  country, The Bahamas, where if global warming continues to occur, our country may cease to exist. We may be inundated with water. Also, global warming has strengthened hurricane intensity. We have experienced several major storms of Category 4 or higher in Joaquin which impacted my island and Hurricane Dorian which impacted Abaco and Grand Bahama. So, yes, we do have concerns with climate change.

Interviewer: Finally, is there anything that you would like added to your education experience that will help you or younger girls that are in secondary or primary school?

Joy: Yes, I would like for more Girls Seminars where issues concerning girls could be addressed in an open setting, and girls will realise that we all experience similar setbacks/joys. We can collaborate and learn from each other. We can strengthen each other. Also, there should be more vocational subjects added for girls who are not academically inclined. Subjects such as cosmetology, and sewing should be added where girls can learn a trade to ensure themselves an income post secondary school. These are a few things would like added to our education experience.