As we mark the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, I find myself reflecting on how early experiences with subjects like math shape our confidence and curiosity.

For many girls, the journey into science starts not in a lab, but in classrooms, casual conversations and even unexpected moments—like a simple picnic.

This past November, I was excited to be invited to a Rotaract picnic at Parc Hann. The camaraderie that comes from Rotaract activities was something I hoped could cure my unforeseeable boredom and loneliness in a new city, as everyone had been promising.

The picnic quickly shifted from the dusty but green scenery of Parc Hann to a well-lit salon. French melodies oozed from the TV before me, and a half-finished game of Uno lay on the table. I couldn’t help but feel distracted. That though I was bound to win this game, it was now being interrupted.

The hosts had made an announcement: a game of quizzes!

Math quizzes, to be exact. The girl in me wasn’t thrilled.

I had always struggled with quizzes, and now math? I was almost ready to sit this one out. But as the first question rolled out, I remembered a trick I had seen on TikTok, of all places, to solve such problems.

I quickly worked out the answer, but I didn’t raise my hand fast enough. I had assumed we’d all share our answers together, but no—that hesitation cost me the first prize, even though I had solved it first.

Still, I pressed on. I won the second and third rounds, both involving complicated multiplications. My newfound rhythm made it easier than I expected.

Then came the next question: percentages.

At that point, I mentally signed out. What did I know about percentages? I couldn’t recall the method or rules to solve them. But the real challenge was still to come. The host declared that the next series of questions would involve logarithms.

Logarithms? I wondered. Where are the logbooks for this?

I looked around in disbelief. As I watched everyone tap their pens on the white paper, a thought dawned on me: my education had failed me—again.

How could something as fundamental as logarithms and percentages feel so alien to me? Why did I not understand something so central to everyday life?

This realization pulled me into deeper reflection. A generation of students has been failed by an education system that focuses on long, tedious solutions without ever breaking down the basic logic of math.

We barely spent time learning the rules or understanding why they worked. Instead, we were quickly pushed into solving complex problems that seemed disconnected from reality. Is it any wonder so many of us were left behind?

Perhaps this is just my experience.

My math education was interrupted for 3 years when I switched to the arts stream in secondary school, even though I had always loved the subject. My teachers back then would stand at the blackboard, write down formulas, solve one example and then call it a day.

Even though I consistently came first in math in senior high school, my grades were still lower than those of the top students in other streams. To keep up, I often sought help from the science students, but even they struggled.

And yet, math is one of the most critical subjects we can learn. It’s not just about solving equations; it’s about learning clear rules and applying them logically to solve real problems.

Teachers and institutions, unfortunately, have created an aura of difficulty around math before students are even given a chance to love it.

Looking back, I wish I had been taught the simplicity of logarithms rather than being handed a logbook and expected to figure it out on my own. Math could—and should—be fun.

It is a subject built on clear rules, accessible methods and even creative approaches as my TikTok trick proved to me during the quiz. With the right mindset and teaching methods, math could be a joy rather than a burden.

In another life, I’d want to relive that joy—to be taught not only how to solve problems but how to truly understand them. After all, math isn’t just numbers; it’s a language of logic and problem solving that can be as exciting as it is essential.

On this International Day of Women and Girls in Science, let’s reimagine an education system where every girl feels empowered to embrace math and science with confidence, curiosity and joy.

Funders and governments must support GPE's efforts to ensure numeracy skills are accessible to every child, unlocking their potential and creating a foundation for lifelong learning.