Prof. Kingsley Nyarko
The Deputy Minister for Education in charge of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), Prof. Kingsley Nyarko, has observed that Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and TVET education played a critical role towards driving technological advancements and fostering a culture of hands-on problem-solving that every economy needed desperately.
He explained that whereas STEM education equipped students with the critical thinking and analytical skills necessary to tackle complex problems, TVET on the other hand provided students with the technical expertise to turn those solutions into reality.
Prof. Nyarko made the observation at the opening of this year’s edition of the novel STEMNNOVATION competition currently ongoing in Accra.
The three-day event has created an opportunity for students to innovate, and create projects that seek to find solutions to their environment and the country as a whole.
A total of two hundred and eighty-five (285) second-cycle institutions in the country applied to compete in this year’s edition of the competition, but after going through the regional roadshows, only 56 institutions qualified for the grand finale which is currently ongoing.
Project Categories
This year’s competition has projects in the areas of Food Sovereignty, Sustainable Energy, Environmental Sustainability and Digital Technology.
It is worth noting that this year, 51 per cent of the projects are focused on environmental issues, which is particularly crucial as we confront the global challenge of climate change.