Vice President Mahamudu Bawuma has reiterated the need for Ghana not to be left behind in the fourth industrial revolution as it was in earlier industrial revolutions.
He said the fourth industrial revolution is underpinned by science, and that it was important that the government put in place the building blocks that will allow Ghana to fully participate in the revolution.
Vice President Bawumia said last Sunday when he cut the sod for work to begin on the first nationwide construction of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) based Junior High Schools at Essikado in the Western Region.
The STEM schools are designed to equip the youth at their formative stages with the necessary skills and knowledge in STEM education.
When completed, the Essikado Model JHS and all subsequent ones will have five laboratories to provide practical training in Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Computer Science, Robotics and Artificial Intelligence.
The STEM JHS forms part of broad and ongoing efforts designed to reform Ghana’s educational system and make it more responsive to the development needs of the nation and produce the critical mass of human resources necessary to drive the national development agenda.
“So the Ministry of Education as part of its vision of re-imaging education is re-positioning the entire educational system to produce a critical mass of assertive and empowered Ghanaian students with essential skills for socio-economic transformation,” the Vice President indicated.
The skills to be inculcated in the students include critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, communication, collaboration, data literacy and digital and computer science which have been drawn from the broad pillars of foundational literacies, competencies and character qualities of the 21st century.
“The STEM approach we are promoting to education fosters creativity and divergent thinking alongside fundamental disciplines and motivates and inspires young people to generate new technologies and ideas.
“Ultimately Ghana’s economic development and stability are dependent on our ability to invent and develop new products. This requires technological innovation which is obtainable through the expertise of specialists with knowledgeable science, technology, engineering and mathematics research,” he emphasized.
Earlier, Vice President Bawumia, who was Guest of Honour at the 70th Anniversary celebration of Fijai Senior High School, Sekondi, reiterated the government’s renewed focus on STEM education and skills acquisition, which he said, would help inculcate the ‘can do’ spirit in Ghanaian youth.
“The government is not only looking to the Free Senior High School policy as its developmental tool. The government is also looking to the introduction of the Technical Vocational Education and Training (T –VET) as a powerful pathway to equip people with the technical and professional skills needed for the socio-economic and industrial development of the country.
“To back this vision, the government is spending the equivalent of $500m to retool 54 TVET institutions, most of which are about 70% complete.
“It is expected that the T–VET would help improve productivity and competitiveness of the skilled workforce and to raise the income-earning capabilities of people, especially women and low-income groups, through the provision of Quality–Oriented, Industry–Focused, Competency-Based and Lifelong Learning training,” he said.
He challenged the students to “develop a mindset of possibilities”, with the belief that the Ghanaian is as mentally and physically capable as anyone in the world irrespective of race or location.
Rex Mainoo Yeboah, ISD
