Workshop on STEM held for teachers in Agona West Municipality

Accra, July 27, GNA – A Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education and E-reading workshop for teachers has been held in the Agona West Municipality.

The two-day workshop, on the theme, “Making STEM Education Accessible and Developing Reading Habits Among The Rising Generation,” was organised by Bountiful Technologies and Bountiful STEM Education Foundation in partnership with Goethe-Institute and WorldReader in collaboration with the Agona West Municipal Directorate of Education.

It was to equip teachers in the Municipality with practical skills in handling STEM classes and also to encourage students to develop an interest in STEM education.

Rev John Ntim Fordjour, the Deputy Education Minister-designate said, the workshop was very relevant because the current paradigm of the world was geared towards the invention of sophisticated technologies, which explored and solved challenging issues of the world.

“These interventions will help shift the focus of our education from humanity-based to educate a population who will possess the relevant skills required in our 4th industrial evolution era. Government is committed to make this narrative a reality through the Education Strategic Plan that aims at changing the status quo of 40:60 Science to humanity ratio to 60:40 Science to humanity ratio by 2030.”

Madam Cynthia Mamle Morrison, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Agona West constituency, at the launch of STEM Education Robotic in the Municipal area, as part of the workshop, also welcomed the project and said she had donated eleven acres of land for the construction of a technical school in Agona West.

”Agona West is going to get a technical school. We have just two in Central Region and Agona West happened to get one, we lobbied but the problem is about the land. So I have personally donated eleven acres of land for the project,” she said.

The MP said she would sponsor STEM competitions among teachers and students in the Agona West Municipality and called for support from other stakeholders.

Mr Seth Ogoe Ayim, the Executive Director, Bountiful Technologies and Bountiful STEM Education Foundation, told the Ghana News Agency that the programme aimed to support and prepare teachers and students in deprived communities to compete on the global level.

He said the feedback had been “wonderful” with many districts and municipalities calling for help.

“We are still talking to some of our partners like Goethe Institute and WorldReader so we can reach more schools….”

Mr Ayim said the workshop was the third in Ghana, and that the first and second were held in the Atiwa West District in 2019 and 2020.

The Agona West workshop was attended by over 70 selected teachers from circuits in the Municipality and it saw teachers built and programmed educational robots as a step to ignite interest in STEM education.
GNA