More than 800 Senior High Schools (SHS) and Technical Vocational and Educational Training Institutions (TVET) in the country are to compete in this year’s Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics Innovation (STEMNOVATION) competition launched in Accra yesterday by the Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum.
Dubbed: STEMNOVATION 2023, this year’s competition is on the theme “Future-Proofing socio-economic development in Ghana through STEM” and is the second edition of the competition which was introduced by the Free SHS/TVET Secretariat last year.
The competition will offer the participating schools and their students, the opportunity to use first hand, their knowledge in innovation and technology to address compelling national and global challenges.
Launching the competition, Dr Osei Adutwum said STEM education remained very relevant to the socio-economic development of the country and the government was committed to providing the resources for its implementation.
He said the introduction of the Free SHS/TVET did not only ensure access but also quality and relevance.
The Minister said STEM was a reflection of the access, quality and relevance, that “Today when we have access to secondary education, even including almost attaining gender parity in secondary education making sure we get the same number of girls in school as boys.”
He said the President’s agenda for secondary education was to clear access to all and ensure that no child was left behind.
Dr Adutwum said STEMNOVATION and all that government was doing formed part of the necessary steps to ensure that education was relevant not just for the students but also addressed the needs of society.
He said STEM education through critical thinking and creativity, through collaboration and communication which was referred to as the 4Cs was to nurture great minds to turn round the fortunes of this country.
Dr Adutwum said the government was on track to achieving its agenda of 60/40 pa gross tertiary enrolment in science education and the necessary interventions were being provided to that effect.
On his part, the Coordinator of the Free SHS/TVET Secretariat, Mr William Darkwa, said STEMNNOVATION was not just an event but a transformative force that would ignite the spark of curiosity, innovation, and problem-solving within the hearts and minds of our young generation.
He said it was a movement that sought to propel the country forward and empowered the youth to become trailblazers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
“As we embark on this journey, let us reflect on the profound impact that STEM education has on our society. STEM is not merely an acronym; it is a gateway to unlocking the limitless potential within our children. It equips them with the critical skills and mindset necessary to tackle the challenges of the 21st century and beyond,” he emphasised.
BY CLIFF EKUFUL
