This Sydney billionaire wants to hire more women. He’s spending $100m to make it happen

A billionaire will pay for high school students to get tutoring as part of a historic $100 million donation to the University of Sydney aimed at lifting the number of women in science and maths degrees.

The gift from tech entrepreneur Robin Khuda is the largest single philanthropic donation made in NSW.

Robin Khuda shaped the program so it would ″⁣go back to the early years of high school”.Credit: Michael Quelch

Khuda made the donation after finding it challenging to find women for technical and senior management roles for his business, AirTrunk, which he sold last year to private equity in a deal worth more than $23 billion.

“Western Sydney, compared to other areas of Sydney, hasn’t had the same level of educational support for students to pursue an early interest in science and technology, and converting their interest into a university degree with that focus,” Khuda said in a statement announcing the donation.

Khuda has made headlines due to his side hustle of high-end real estate development in Palm Beach as well as a project to create his own family compound in Mosman.

When he arrived in Australia in 1997 as an 18-year-old from Bangladesh studying accounting at UTS, Khuda’s first home was kilometres away in Sydney’s west.

When the program is up and running, high school students in years 7 to 10 in western Sydney will be able to access education programs designed to spark an interest in physics, maths and engineering. It will eventually reach 40,000 students.

HSC data shows a lower proportion of students in Sydney’s south-west do physics and chemistry, with some schools lacking the teachers to offer the subjects.

University of Sydney vice chancellor Mark Scott said Khuda shaped the program so it would go back to the early years of high school to arrest a lack of interest in pursuing science and maths careers.

“They could see the real gender link to that – that far too many girls decide far too early in their education that STEM is not for them,” he said.

Samantha Jap said it was difficult trying to find other students from western Sydney in her course.Credit: Wolter Peeters

The second tranche of the program will allow 1200 girls in years 11 and 12 to benefit from the Khuda Academy, where girls in partner schools will receive group tutoring to support them in study.

Eligible academy graduates will be then given certainty around university courses much earlier than other school students and be able to access a guaranteed scholarship stipend, including funds for university-owned accommodation, alongside specialised mentoring.

Students from western Sydney make up 30 per cent since introducing scholarships for disadvantaged students, Scott said, following the rollout of a 10-year-strategy to prioritise attracting disadvantaged students to the traditionally elite institution.

Bachelor of Science student Samantha Jap went to Fairvale High School and said there were only four girls in her physics class.

“It would make a big difference to see and connect with other girls in those courses – to have as friends and role models to support each other,” she said.

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