Tonga Women in ICT awareness update
The month of October in every year, Tonga’s National Computer Emergency Response Team – CERT Tonga marked it as the Cyber Awareness Month – this year we called it Cybertober.
After lockdowns and many months of work from home, 2022 was rightfully the year to go big and make awareness and noise in Tonga with Cyber Awareness.
Tonga Women in ICT – TWICT reached a milestone by signing an MoU with CERT Tonga , Mr. Paula Ma’u, CEO of Ministry of MEIDECC for the purpose of awareness and capacity building.
Tonga Women in ICT sign MOU with MEIDECC | Pacific Online
October 12, 2022 – TWICT and CERT Tonga joined forces and invited young students from various schools in Tonga, Also all multi- stakeholders to collaborate and conduct cyber awareness on this day by celebrating “Cyber Smart Day” – A reminder to stay Smart online. Government ministries, public sectors and private sectors were able to attend and put up a booth to support this day. Tonga Women in ICT able to run panel session during this even for students from secondary and tertiary institutions whereby it was led by Brenda Atoa from Tonga Cert, Dr. Tangikina Moimoi Steen, CEO for Ministry of Education, Director for Pacific Region – Mr. Samiu Vaipuna , Mrs. Tupou Vainikolo, Attorney General’s Office and Kalisi Talifolau from the Ministry of Police.
TWICT also launched the “Pacific Digital Gender Scorecards Regional Synthesis” report which was launched by Acting Prime Minister at the time Hon. Samiu Vaipulu.
Also following this day, we were able to conduct and achieved cybersecurity awareness by conducting awareness sessions to seven (7) secondary schools only in the main island – Tongatapu and they are:
- Saint Andrew High School
- Beulah Adventist College
- Lavengamalie College
- Liahona High School
- Tonga High School
- Tupou High School and
- Tailulu College
In those sessions we were lucky that we have went together with a representative from Save the Children – I Am Digital and they focused on how to be safe online especially social media platforms such as Facebook(Meta), Instagram and Twitter etc.
The purpose of our awareness sessions is for students/young people (mainly aimed at high schools) to: –
- Know more about Tonga Women in ICT, their roles and to encourage girls to study STEM and to know of the career that they can choose from for their future if they study STEM or ICT – TWICT
- How to be safe online and to know about the Save the Children – I Am Digital project – Save the Children
- What services provided by CERT Tonga, what are some of the cyber security threats occurring in Tonga and what are the counter measure or security tips – CERT Tonga
Along with this collaboration Cert Tonga, Tonga Women in ICT , I Am Digital are planning to re-enforce the awareness to schools prior to students returning to the classrooms for 2023.
Tonga Women in ICT wishes to conduct this awareness again early next year when students start off at school so they can start the year with broad knowledge of important reminders on:
- Cyber Bullying
- Using the Internet Safely
- Tips
- STEM opportunities
Hoping Everyone a great End of year for 2022.
