500 students to benefit from eCampus learning platform
About 500 students are to enjoy the eCampus learning platform, which makes the study of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) much easier and fun.
Out of the 500 students, 300 are female. The initiative is a collaboration between the African Business Centre for Developing Education (ABCDE) and Vivo Energy Ghana, marketers and distributors of Shell products.
The Managing Director of Vivo Energy Ghana, Ben Hassan Ouattara, announced the package in Accra at a Breakfast meeting organised by the two organisation.
Touching on what Vivo Energy was doing to promote STEM education, especially among ladies, he said, “Vivo Energy gives opportunities to STEM students by employing graduates to come work within the organisation”.
He encouraged players in Ghana’s private sector to get involved in the promotion of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education in Ghana.
According to him, an investment in STEM Education would benefit the private sector immensely.
The event was on the theme: ‘The Promise of e-learning to STEM Education in Ghana: a special focus on Girls’.
Nearly 200 stakeholders from the diplomatic corps, private sector, government agencies, international development agencies and school authorities graced the occasion.
The objectives of the program were to discuss ways to make STEM education attractive, increase awareness in career opportunities that exist in the world of science and technology especially among female students, and garner private sector support.
The Chairman of ABCDE, Dr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, in his opening remarks, said the study of STEM was currently unattractive to girls due to the perception that science was difficult.
He rallied teachers and stakeholders in the sector to adopt methods and incentives that made the study of STEM-related courses more attractive to girls.
He said: “We can use animated programs on TV to attract young boys and girls to develop an interest in STEM. If children’s cartoon TV programs had educational content in them and there are additions, subtraction, multiplication and vectors and all kinds of scientific knowledge being displayed, where the animals are playing around, you will grow up learning so much fun, so that, it doesn’t become difficult learning STEM”
Country Director for UNESCO, Abdourahamane Diallo, encouraged all to send the right messages to girls to change the perception they have about STEM.
“I would like to use this opportunity to encourage all of us to advocate for the right messages to be sent to our girls. We must tell our girls that the world needs STEM and STEM needs women. Instead, of telling girls that their place is at home (in the kitchen), let’s tell them that their place is in science,” he stated.
Speaking on what the Ghana Science Association is doing to make the study of STEM interesting, Dr Thomas Tagoe said the association holds events that bring young people, especially girls, together with scientists.
