SheSTEM and Policy Exchange Host Event Highlighting Women’s Role in Advancing Public Sector STEM

On November 12th, Policy Exchange, under the SheSTEM program, hosted an impactful event to highlight the crucial role women play in advancing public sector STEM fields. Although progress has been made, women fill only 14% of STEM roles in Bangladesh, lagging behind regional peers. The event focused on how increasing female participation could lead to more inclusive, innovative, and effective contributions in the public sector.

Dr. Mashrur Reaz, CEO & Chairman of Policy Exchange Bangladesh, opened the event with remarks that set the stage for the discussions. Rodoshee Tahsin, Senior Associate & Project Coordinator at Policy Exchange Bangladesh, gave the keynote speech, stressing the importance of empowering women in STEM.

Panel discussions featured prominent leaders:

• Julia Ahmed, Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Expert
• Muhammad Abdus Salam, Joint Secretary, Technical & Madrasah Education Division, Ministry of Education
• Mirza Mohammad Ali Reza, Joint Secretary (Planning Branch), Secondary & Higher Education Division, Ministry of Education

The session, moderated by Mohsina Yasmin, Consultant at Policy Exchange Bangladesh, explored challenges related to low female representation in STEM, strategies for building an inclusive environment, and the need for gender-inclusive policies and collaboration. Mushfiqua Satiar, Adviser – SRHR & Gender at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Bangladesh, provided the closing remarks.

The event inspired actionable change and aimed to promote long-term socio-economic and technological progress for Bangladesh by increasing female participation in STEM.