Ghana has begun the construction of a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Academy at East Legon, a suburb of Accra, Ghana’s capital.

President of Ghana Nana Akufo-Addo, on Wednesday, performed a sod-cutting ceremony to begin the construction of the STEM Academy.

According to him, this is part of efforts by the government to reorient the educational system to focus more on science and technology.

The President decried the country’s pace in terms of science and technology.

He, therefore, stated that the construction of STEM schools across the country would make Ghana more competitive on the global scene.

“Ghana has been blessed with the best and brightest on the continent who can unleash our potential and make us an active participant in the fourth industrial revolution. The time has come for us to reorient our education system to equip students with the right technological skills needed to succeed in the 21st century,” he said.

He revealed that the government has commenced the development of 20 STEM centres and 10 model STEM Senior High Schools across the country, which are at various stages of completion.

Some of these schools would be operationalized this year.

President Akufo-Addo also expressed concerns about the total number of engineering graduates who are churned out annually in the country. According to him, compared to a country like Vietnam, Ghana must progress from the total number of 6,000 annual engineering graduates to at least 30,000 engineers.

The construction of STEM schools in Ghana has been necessitated by calls from stakeholders and industry experts on the need for the country’s curriculum to reflect the demands of the industry.

President Akufo-Addo reiterated the government’s commitment to tweaking the educational system for the desired level of socio-economic transformation.

He also used the occasion to commend the Education Minister for his efforts in the formulation of the STEM policy.

“I am delighted that the school dedicated principally to the teaching and learning of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) is being brought under the presidency of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. I thank all stakeholders especially my erudite Minister of Education and Member of Parliament for Bosomtwi, the Honourable Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, for the conception of this brilliant idea and for working out to bring it into fruition,” Akufo-Addo said.

Source: https://energynewsafrica.com