<<Print>>

Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has cut the sod for the construction of an ultra-modern lower secondary solely dedicated to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education in the Essikado-Ketan constituency in the Western Region.

The two-storey facility, when completed, would have five different laboratories, ten classrooms to encourage the learning of STEM from the lower level of secondary education.

The educational complex, named “21t century lower secondary”, falls under the 21st-century community schools project and is expected to be completed within 10-months.

The Vice President said the current industrial revolution called for major attention to the sciences to engineer growth and Ghana could not afford to dwell in the trenches should real progress and the aim of Ghana beyond Aid is to be achieved.

“Our quest is to build a strong foundation in the STEM arena and reposition our education system to produce that critical mass with the requisite knowledge in critical thinking, problem-solving, data, digital and computer literacy. Actually, STEM education goes beyond school to skills acquisition.”

Dr Bawumia added that “to spur economic growth, much effort was being made by the government to invest in the area of STEM…we are building such STEM education Complex across the country to realize that vision of rapid socio-economic growth, a job for all and holistic advancement of the Ghanaian people.”  

The overall agenda of the government was to ensure that Ghanaian students become globally competitive through the integration of relevant academic content with experiences that nurtured the skills and mindsets needed to participate meaningfully for socio-economic transformation.

Reverend John Ntim-Fordjour, the Deputy Minister for Education, said the various government’s interventions in STEM and TVET were to help address the weak link that had existed since the introduction of the 1987 educational reforms that introduced the Junior and Senior high school.

The Western Regional Minister, Mr Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, lauded the government for thinking generational and beyond electoral gains to groom the next generation of talents with the requirements to turn the country’s fortunes in the right direction.

Mr Joe Ghartey, the MP for Essikado-Ketan constituency, noted how the UMAT campus was already engendering economic growth in the area and prayed that the Constituency could become a hub for STEM and TVET education.