Accra, Feb.17, GNA— Mrs Olivia Serwaa Opare, Director, Science Education Unit, Ghana Education Service, says Ghana is making “huge” progress in girls in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education.
She said government’s commitment to educating girls in the STEM discipline by developing 20 STEM centres and 10 model STEM Senior High Schools nationwide was repositioning the country in ensuring equality in STEM education.
Mrs Opare, who said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said Science equipment were supplied to 165 schools in Senior High Schools across the country, with 670 Science teachers and laboratory technicians being trained on the effective use of Science equipment to make teaching and learning more practical and interesting.
A total of 193 teachers and laboratory technicians from Greater Accra, Volta and Eastern Regions participated in the first training programme on Monday, February 14, this year at the National STEM Centre in Accra.
The Director said the number of girls who were interested in undertaking STEM disciplines were gradually increasing, and hoped that it would get better.
‘‘You could see the interest the girls had while they were answering problems they were given to solve during the recent celebration of the International Day for Women and Girls in STEM. Very soon, their interest would increase…,’ she said.
Mrs Opare underscored the need for girls to be provided with tools and be equipped from primary school so they could develop interest in STEM early.
She also called for problem-based learning for children to develop their innovative skills towards solving societal problems.
The Director said: ‘‘We have girls who were participants of the Science, Technology, Mathematics, and Innovation Education (STMIE) camp who have become prominent women in society such as Dr Zanetor Rawlings, some were used as role models.’’
Ghana Education Service in collaboration with the Science Education Unit organises National Science, Technology, Mathematics, and Innovation Education (STMIE) camps to engage students in practical hands-on activities in STEM.
More than half of the students who participated in the camps over the years take up STEM-related fields in the tertiary institutions in Ghana and abroad.
GNA