Zarnigor Rakhimova, a school graduate from Bukhara province, secured a bronze medal at the European Girls' Olympiad in Informatics (EGOI). Ucell supported Uzbekistan's girls' team in participating in the competition in Eindhoven, the Netherlands.
A persistent bias exists that software engineering is not a suitable field for women. From childhood, girls are often steered towards the humanities, and their interest in the exact sciences is not adequately encouraged. A lack of support and stereotypes about “computer science being exclusively for men” have discouraged many talented girls from pursuing IT careers.
This stereotype is gradually being dismantled. Promoting gender equality and empowering women aims to break down barriers and demonstrate that computer science is accessible to everyone. Uzbekistan is providing girls with increasing opportunities in IT, and Zarnigor Rakhimova's victory at the European Olympiad in Informatics is proof of this.
IT is the Language of the Future
In today's world, where technology penetrates all domains of life, IT skills are becoming not just an advantage, but a necessity. Uzbekistan is proactively developing its digital economy and creating conditions for young people to master these skills, regardless of gender.
At the initiative of the Ministry of Digital Technologies, the country has adopted educational programs focused on teaching children software engineering and robotics. Competitions and Olympiads in these disciplines are held regularly. In June of this year, the ICT4Girls Olympiad was held in Uzbekistan, with 242 girls from across the country participating. Based on the first stage results, 45 school and lyceum students who excelled in C++ or Python coding were selected. In the next stage, 12 winners gained the opportunity to attend a training bootcamp. Their mentors were boys who won the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI) last year. After intensive training, four participants were selected to represent Uzbekistan at the European Girls' Olympiad in Informatics in the Netherlands.
Girls Rule in EGOI
EGOI is a recently launched coding competition exclusively for girls, modeled after the European Mathematical Olympiad. Participants not only solve complex tasks and develop algorithms but also meet women who have succeeded in IT. This is important because the majority of coding teachers are men.
The first EGOI took place in 2021 in Zurich, Switzerland. Since then, competitions have been held in various cities of the participating countries. The organizers aim to provide young women with the chance to showcase their talents and foster their interest in computer science.
