Mrs Olivia Serwaa Opare, Director, Science Education Unit of the Ghana Education Service (GES), says Ghana is on the right track with its Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education.
She attributed the feat to the many measures put in place to ensure a vibrant and robust STEM education in the country.
An example of the measures is the regular supply of science materials and equipment and chemicals to about 180 senior high schools across the country.
Mrs Opare said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency at a sensitisation on STEM organised for district Directors of Education within the Greater Accra Region.
The objective was to empower the Directors of Education on available science and technology teaching and learning tools, as well as the usefulness of the inculcation of robotics in schools’ curriculum and in the future generation, that is, learners.
Additionally, it was to raise awareness and interests of key players to support the Ghana Education Service’s journey in championing STEM education in schools.
The sensitisation was organised by the GES through the Science Education Unit (National STEM Resource Centre) with support from Dext Technology Limited and AB Review Education Hub.
In all, 20 district Directors of Education participated in the empowerment exercise.
They were taken through programming such as coding, robotics and 3D printing.
Mrs Opare noted that, over the past few years, there had been significant improvement in STEM education in the country, stressing that, that was a result of government’s commitment, especially the Ministry of Education, in ensuring that Ghana was not left behind in the 4th industrial revolution.
She said a number of STEM schools had been earmarked for construction to promote STEM education, adding that, currently, there were seven model STEM schools across the country.
“In fact, we have earmarked 35, but since we are piloting, we are dealing with the seven and it is across the country,” she indicated.
“As a country, we have not done too badly, in fact, we have really improved. We have improved and all thanks must be given to the government,” she added.
Mrs Opare said apart from the supply of equipment to senior high schools, the GES had built the capacity of teachers to enable them to effectively and efficiently deliver on their mandate, adding that, the training of the district Directors of Education formed part of the broader efforts of building the capacity of all those involved to promote STEM education in the country.
Already, she said, a number of STEM coordinators and heads of senior high schools had been trained in that effort.
“Educating our district directors will go a long way to promote effective teaching and learning because they are the custodians, they are representing the Director-General and when they are in the known of STEM activities, they serve as the right tool to promote STEM learning. So, this is also one of them,” she explained.
She urged the participants to implement the knowledge acquired from the training to whip up interest of students in the STEM education within their districts to ensure that its objectives were attained.
The Director said her unit would rigorously monitor progress in schools to ensure the goals of the training yielded the required results.