To ensure that students pursue Science Technology Engineering and Maths (STEM), the Chairman of the African Business Centre for Developing Education (ABCDE) Dr. Ekow Spio- Garbrah has called for the need to make the free education policy restrictive to only students pursuing Science Technology Engineering and Maths (STEM)
According to him this will help promote the study of STEM in the country and make the study of STEM attractive.
Dr. Spio- Garbrah made this call at the Breakfast Meeting on Education in Accra on Tuesday organized by ABCDE in collaboration with Vivo Energy under the theme: “ The Promise of E-learning to STEM Education in Ghana with focus on Girls”
Emphatically speaking, Dr. spio stressed that, “ Imagine the free education policy is only restricted to students pursuing science, technology Engineering and Maths, what will happen in this country. This will encourage more people to promote the advancement of STEM in the country”.
The Chairman of ABCDE further noted that the study of STEM is critical and very significant for the development of every country hence the need to make it a priority in the country especially amongst girls.
For him, the study of STEM is currently unattractive to girls due to the perception that science is difficult.
Adding that, there is the need to adopt methods and incentives in order to make the study of STEM related courses more attractive for girls.
“We can use animation programmes on TV to attract young boys and girls to develop interest in STEM. If those kinds of programmes had educational Content in them and there are additions, subtraction, multiplication and vectors and all kinds of scientific knowledge being displayed where the animals are playing around, you will grow up learning so much in a fun way, so that it doesn’t become difficult learning STEM” he emphasized.
Dr. Spio-Garbrah therefore stressed the need fore more effort to be channelled into encouraging girls to pursue STEM courses adding that only 35% of STEM students in higher education globally are women.
On his part, the UNICEF Representative also touched need for STEM to be promoted in the country, maintaining that every country’s development one way or the other depends on it.
Sharing his views, the Managing Director of Vivo Energy, Mr. Ben Hassan Ouattara, on his part, expressed his company’s commitment towards investing into education
According to him, the company is active in the development and delivery of a wide range of educational initiatives across the country.
“Many of our initiatives are aimed at children and young people, with the objective of fostering academic achievement entrepreneurship and learning” he acknowledged.
Mr Ouattara added that some of the initiatives include the Vivo Energy Bonanza School challenge, provision of educational infrastructure to deprived schools and the energy for education project which he said involves the donation of over 3,000 solar lamps to school children in the rural areas.
He later touched the need for STEM to be taken seriously amongst girls since it has a good job market.
Source: www.thenewindependentonline.com/ Ishmael Barfi / senghana@gmail.com
