By Francis Ntow
Accra, April 6, GNA – The Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Dotty’s TVET [Technical and Vocational Education Training] Institute have teamed up to train Ghanaian children to propel them to drive Ghana’s industrialisation in the future.
The partnership would see children in basic, Junior and Senior High Schools across the country provided with hands-on training in robotics and coding, fashion design, and woodwork.
This is to complement the theoretical knowledge they gain in those fields making them have a solution-oriented mindset and be industry ready in line with Ghana’s industrial revolution agenda.
An initiative, “The making of future industrialists”, was launched in Accra.
Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency after the launch, Professor Marian Dorcas Quain, Deputy Director-General, said: “At the CSIR, we believe in spreading our tentacles wide in scientific research, especially, catching them young.”
That, she said, led to the Centre teaming up with the Institute, to ensure that they used the aspects of science that CSIR researched into to educate the young ones and provide them with the requisite hands-on experience.
Prof Quain stated that, doing so, would help the children to demystify, appreciate science and technology and help in their transitioning from school into the world of work.
“There are a lot that we import that we can manufacture locally, and it will all start with us putting the children in spaces that they can practically experience research and innovate them for the things that we need to improve our society and economy,” she stated.
“If you start with them young, and help them demystify the science and have some hands-on abilities, it will go a long way for us to industrialise our nation,” Prof Quain said.
Mrs Matilda Nana Manye Amissah-Arthur, a former Second Lady, underscored the essence of marrying theoretical knowledge and practical experience in solving life challenges and propelling industrial growth.
She noted that combining theoretical learning and hands-on at the early stages of children’s development would make them to be accustomed to many of the things that they read about.
“Here, the children are not just being introduced to science, robotics, and engineering, but beadmaking and fashion designing, which will help in gaining industry-ready skills, while demystifying science,” she said.
“At the exhibition, I saw children in carpentry and other woodworks, and I do recommend that every parent and school will take advantage of the initiative, and support it to thrive and reach all parts of the country,” Mrs Amissah-Arthur noted.
Prof Elsie Effah Kaufmann, a founding Head of the Department of Biomedical Engineers, University of Ghana, noted that over the years, the challenge of many young Ghanaians had been users rather than producers of technology.
The Quiz Mistress, National Science and Maths Quiz (NSMQ), attributed the situation to theoretical oriented way of teaching in the country.
She expressed optimism that when young people were made to understand the theories and do practical activities, and be innovators, they would help change the narrative, and accelerate Ghana’s industrial growth.
Prof Kaufmann noted that Ghana’s educational ecosystem had started seeing a shift to a blend of theory and practical, and called on both state and non-state institutions to help scale up the initiative across the country.
Mad Dorothy Ewurama Saah, the Executive Director, Dotty’s TVET Institute, said the initiative was to also help the country train its young people to add value to raw materials, by combining academic and industry knowledge.
“Our children shouldn’t only do academic work, they should also do the hands-on work, and this is what the collaboration between Dotty’s and CSIR will do,” she said.
GNA