STEM agenda will increase Science to Humanity ratio- Minister

Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, the Minister of Education, says Government’s agenda to promote Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics education is to increase the Science to Humanities ratio from the current 40:60 to 60:40.

The Minister said the Government’s priority in STEM education was part of Ghana’s reform project to reposition the educational system to equip learners with the 21st-century skills to be fit for purpose.

The STEM agenda is also to prepare the critical mass of empowered Ghanaians for socioeconomic transformation and become active participants in the 4th Industrial Revolution.

This was in a speech read by Reverend John Ntim Fordjour, the Deputy Minister of Education for the Minister on Monday to mark International Day of Mathematics and the launch of Africa Africa Institute for Mathematical Sciences, (AIMS) Ghana.

The programme was on the theme: ” Mathematics Unite.” Government in January 2022, cut the sod for the construction of a STEM School in Accra to reorient the educational system to focus more on Science and Technology.

Dr Adutwum said the Government had allocated land for the construction of girls STEM Senior High School (SHS) in Kpone Katamanso, Accra to be affiliated with the AIMS.

The project, the Minister said, was part of the 11 model state-of-the art STEM SHS being built across the country to be equipped with 12 laboratories and a STEM pathway established in some existing SHS with four laboratories.

Dr Adutwum said no country could develop without a Mathematics background, stressing that, the course was the bedrock of the socio-economic transformation of an economy.

Dr Prince Koree Osei, Centre President, AIMS Ghana, said the Institute since its inception in 2012 had graduated over 300 students from 25 African countries out of which 33 per cent were females.

The Institute, he said, had built a research capacity for Africans in Pure and Applied Mathematics, stressing that the programmes were in line with the core objectives of UNESCO Category II Centre of Excellence and AIMS Global Network.

He said AIMS Ghana and the University of Energy and Natural Resources in June 2021 signed a Memorandum of Understanding towards the implementation of the Climate Change and Atmospheric Physics Programme.

He said the Institute had introduced a Master’s training programme for Mathematics teachers on the applications and models of the course.

That, he said, would help the teachers to be innovative and creative to teach the students for better comprehension.

He commended Government and development partners for the support to the Institute.

Mr Abdourahamane Diallo, Head, UNESCO Office, Ghana, said the study of Mathematics was essential in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals because it empowered people and opened up new opportunities.

UNESCO, he said, was committed to supporting the country’s educational system for sustained development.

Ahead of the commemoration of the day, AIMS Ghana launched its 10th-anniversary celebrations on Monday, March 14.

The Chief Operations Officer for the Centre, Ms Adelaide Asante, lauded all stakeholders, including partner institutions, ministries and industry, for their active participation in discussions surrounding Mathematics and its Applications in Africa.

She said the theme for the IDM celebration, “Mathematics Unites” was befitting, especially because, after a decade of making an impact and bringing students together from diverse backgrounds to contribute to scientific excellence in the Mathematical Sciences, the Centre had undergone a massive transformation, recording many milestones.

Notable among them was AIMS Ghana’s rise to the position of a UNESCO Category II Centre of Excellence in 2018.

Since its inception in 2012, AIMS Ghana has graduated more than 400 students from 27 African countries, 33 per cent of whom are females.

The Pan- African Institute has built a research capacity for Africans in Pure and Applied Mathematics and remains an icon in contributing to scientific transformation in both academia and industry.

The programmes of AIMS are in line with the core objectives of UNESCO Category II Centre of Excellence and AIMS Global Network.

As part of the year-long celebration, there will be an Alumni Homecoming and a Public Lecture in honour of the patron/founder of the Centre – the late Professor Francis K. Allotey.