An engineering student from Assam called upon girls to join technical education on a day she headed the British deputy high commission in Calcutta to mark International Day of the Girl Child.

Monjita Baruah from Silchar in Assam won the “Deputy High Commissioner for a Day” contest that was open to young Indian women aged between 18 and 23. The 150 participants were asked to record a one-minute video on “why gender equality is important and who their biggest inspiration is on the issue?”

“I stand for higher representation of women in technical education. I call upon girls to create a niche in areas that have remained male dominated over the years, technical education is one of them,” said Monjita.

She is a second-year student of electronics and communication engineering at National Institute of Technology (NIT), Silchar, Assam.

“In my batch of 600 students, the number of girls is less than 100. The fact that we are smaller in number makes you feel a little under-represented. Now, women are coming forward but still a lot can be done. It can be done by spreading awareness, bringing about a mindset change and empowering women,” she said.

Since 2016, the British high commission has been offering young Indian women across the country to head a diplomatic mission for a day.

On Thursday, Monjita had the chance to oversee the network, lead departmental briefings at the British deputy high commission in Calcutta. The opportunity helped her gain experience about the “varied aspects in a Deputy high commissioner’s day, including his diplomatic engagements”.

She also learnt about the initiatives taken by the UK to promote gender equality and end human trafficking.

“We share with India the importance of promoting the cause of gender equality. I am delighted that we were able to mark the ‘International Day of the Girl Child’ by demonstrating to young women that they are the future leaders and by giving them a platform to share their views,” said Bruce Bucknell, British deputy high commissioner to Calcutta.