Miss Ghana urged to influence youth to take up science and mathematics

Accra, August 3, GNA - Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo, Minister of Education and Sports, on Wednesday urged the newly crowned Miss Ghana to play an active role in influencing the youth especially young girls to be more interested in science and mathematics.

He said students in the second and third cycle institutions were active and would need a role model like her to assist them rise to the standard expected of them.

Mr Osafo-Maafo said this when Ms Lamisi Mbillah, the 22 year-old winner of this year's LG Miss Ghana Pageant, called on him to inform him about projects she intended to carry out and to seek the support of the Ministry.

He commended Ms Mbillah for winning the crown and expressed the Ministry's readiness to support her to achieve her objectives of carrying out such educative programmes, which would help champion the cause of the youth.

The Minister urged her not only to organise programmes on television but also visit schools so that the students could interact with her.

Mr Osafo-Maafo asked her to make available to the Ministry her projects and the time so that the Ministry could liaise with the schools and districts in which she would be working in order to facilitate her work.

He said the Ministry was also trying to integrate sports into the mainstream education system and urged her find out how best she could assist in sports development.

Ms Mbilla said her project had to do with issues that affected the youth such as teenage pregnancy, indiscipline and drug abuse. She said as a youth ambassador she was interested in outreach programmes in the schools where she could meet and discuss social issues.

Ms Mbilla said she was sporty and a sports fan and would do all she could to make her input in the field of sports. Ms Mbilla, who read Zoology at the University of Ghana, said she was interested in public health and would carry out a project on guinea worm eradication.