By Eunice Hilda A. Mensah
Accra, Oct. 19, GNA – Tullow Ghana has equipped 1300 students in deprived communities with knowledge and skills in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) for this year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and their future endeavours.
Tullow, since 2018 has, also, trained students in Senior High Schools all within seven coastal districts in the Western Region through its “Mobile STEM Clinics” with a keen focus on Mathematics and Integrated Science.
The districts are Ellembelle, Jomoro, Effia Kwesimintim, Sekondi-Takoradi, Nzema East, Shama, and Ahanta West.
Mrs Cynthia Lumor, Deputy Managing Director (MD), Tullow Ghana, in a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency, said the Mobile STEM Clinics were developed after Tullow in 2016 conducted a study indicating skills gaps in youth employability due to low education progression rate in the region.
This was in partnership with Youth Bridge Foundation, a youth-focused non-governmental organization and the Ghana Education Service.
She said the Clinics had been a game changer for students in the fishing communities and provided them access to science equipment and laboratory experiments needed for understanding the theoretical concepts taught in schools.
The laboratory setup was carried in vans and stationed in locations that were accessible to the students.
During the clinic, Mrs Lumor said facilitators gave students the opportunity to be able to undertake laboratory experiments with Science and Maths equipment, and to ask questions based on their experience.
The seven-day clinic also allowed experts from the Ghana Education Service to provide best practices and critical insights into the examination for the benefit of the candidates, she said.
The Deputy MD said a striking feature of the clinic was the ‘Peer-to-Peer Mentorship’ Module which enabled past beneficiaries of the project to share their personal experiences from STEM education and consequently help to boost the confidence of prospective BECE candidates.
Mrs Lumor said the project’s impact had manifested through beneficiaries who had become STEM ambassadors, and were projecting the gains of the programme in Senior High Schools and tertiary institutions.
Education progression had improved, as the project led to many beneficiaries enrolling in tertiary institutions, the first batch of which were currently in final year in these institutions, she noted.
Mrs Lumor said: “At Tullow, we recognise that STEM education is an important building block for the socio-economic development of our host communities. That is why we invest in several STEM-related initiatives including the Mobile STEM Clinic to give young Ghanaians, access to practical science sessions to ensure that no one is left behind in accessing quality STEM education.
“We believe that this will bridge the resource gap and spur beneficiaries onto higher heights”.
The Mobile STEM Clinic is funded by Tullow Ghana Limited under its “Educate to Innovate with STEM” project which is implemented by the Youth Bridge Foundation.
GNA