President Akufo-Addo
Government plans to roll out new educational reforms with special focus on Science, Technical, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
President Akufo-Addo, who made the announcement, believes this will help achieve his government’s initial target of 60% science students in the country’s technical institutions.
He made this known on Saturday during a convocation and graduation ceremony at All Nations University College in Koforidua, the Eastern Regional capital.
He reiterated his government’s commitment to increasing the funding for research and development (R & D), indicating that in the short to medium term, one per cent of GDP would be devoted for that purpose.
Eventually, President Akufo-Addo said, this would be raised to 2.5% of GDP in the long term.
“R & D funds will be made available for all research activities in both public and private educational and research institutions. It will take some time, but I am convinced that eventually Ghana will reap the expected benefits of the policies that have been put in place to transform education,” he articulated.
He has since directed the Ministry of Education and the Ministry responsible for Science and Technology to draw up programmes to strengthen and upscale the study of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics right from the basic to the tertiary level.
Additionally, the president indicated that his government had drawn up very elaborate programmes and strategies to strengthen technical, vocational education and training (TVET) at all levels of the educational system.
“It is my conviction that TVET is one of the main strategic policies of government aimed at the development of Ghanaian human resources. The major objective of TVET is to prepare people for the job market so that they can be productive and be of use to themselves, their families and society at large,” he explained.
Commendation
President Akufo-Addo seized the opportunity to congratulate the university on its achievements saying, “I come here today with a sense of pride in view of your recent achievement in launching GhanaSat-I into space. Indeed, your achievement has put Ghana on the map of nations that are venturing into space.”
With the African Union (AU) about to set up a space agency for the whole of Africa, President Akufo-Addo revealed that he had directed the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation to express strongly Ghana’s readiness to host the agency, and mobilise support to achieve that end.
“Clearly, I was motivated to take that decision partly as a result of your recent successful launch of GhanaSat-1,” he said.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent