Science, technical education to be intensified - Minister

Government is committed to intensifying the study of science and technical subjects, Prof. Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi, Minister of Education said on Wednesday.

"Science and technical education constitute indispensable components in the nation's march towards development and progress," he stressed.

He was opening a workshop organised for the National Committee charged with implementing the Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) programme at the National Science Resource Centre, in Accra.

Officials from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the World Bank, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Peace Corps (Ghana), the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service (GES), attended the workshop.

The GLOBE programme is a hands-on science and education that unites students, teachers and scientists from around the world in study and research about the dynamics of the Earth's environment.

Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi said as part of efforts aimed at underscoring the importance government attaches to education, a Science Education Unit has been established under the Ghana Education Service (GES) to co-ordinated all science activities in pre-tertiary educational institutions.

He said hundreds of thousands of GLOBE student in more than 8,000 schools in over 85 countries are taking important environmental measurements and reporting their data for the use by scientists.

The programme is to enhance environmental awareness of individuals worldwide, increase scientific understanding of the earth and to support improved student achievement in science and mathematics.

The Minister said the workshop is to serve as a national networking and support system strategy for the implementation of the GLOBE programme.

Rev Emmanuel K. Dadebo, GLOBE's Country Co-ordinator said the successful implementation of the programme in Ghana calls for a strategic plan to involve all concerned bodies to ensure a sustainable platform for action.

He said heads of Secondary Schools have been made chief patrons of GLOBE programmes in their schools to ensure its success.