A scene during one of the many exhibitions
Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, the Minister of Education, has commended the management of Galaxy International School in Accra for their role in promoting Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education.
In a speech read on his behalf during the 18th Science and Makers’ Fair of the school in Accra last Saturday, he said that government is ready to complement the efforts of all institutions’ investors to play key roles in the development of education in the country.
Education, he said, is undergoing transformation in the country to ensure that it would be at par with others around the world.
Some of these reforms, he said, include the introduction of and strengthening of STEM education at all levels in the country, revamping of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions by improving access to all TVET institutions and now being made free just like the free Senior High School system.
Giving an example, he pointed at the seven STEM Senior High Schools operating fully in some parts of the country.
“Mr. Chairman, it is worth noting that all these STEM schools have been equipped with the state of the art equipment to ensure that students do not just be in such schools but have the full complement of learning resources to facilitate their studies,” he stated.
Another initiative he pointed at is the introduction of the pre-engineering courses by the Education Ministry two years ago to create an opportunity for SHS graduates who could not pursue science to be prepared so they are admitted to do engineering at the tertiary level.
Also speaking during the fair, the Inspector General of Schools, Dr. Hagar Hilda Ampadu, said science is not merely confined to textbooks or classrooms but that it is a living and breathing entity that surrounds us. It encourages us to think beyond the ordinary, to question the unknown and to seek answers that unlock the mysteries of or universe.
The celebration at Galaxy International School, she said, serves as a reminder to us all that education extends beyond the pages of textbooks. “We only truly understand the meaning of what we learn when we can use it practically and engage in hands-on activities,” she said.
Like it happened in previous years, the students of the school engaged in assortment of activities to underscore their understanding of their studies in the science laboratories.
There was no doubt that their parents left the venue of the fair satisfied that their kids were on the march towards becoming engineers, pharmacists, doctors and many areas in the realm of the sciences.
By A.R. Gomda