Workshop on STME underway

Kwame Danso (B/A), Oct. 6 , GNA - A seven-day Science, Technology and Mathematics Education (STME) clinic for 50 students made up of 10 boys and 40 girls from the Sene District is underway at the Kwame Danso Senior Secondary/Technical School. In an address read on his behalf, the Minister of Education, Youth and Sports, Mr. Kwadwo Baah Wiredu, expressed concern about the scarcity of scientists in Africa. Mr Baah Wiredu said out of the world population of scientists, African can only boast of about 20,000 scientists, representing 0.36 percent of the world total number.

He said: "the problem of poverty and hunger in Africa and Ghana is due to the low level of scientific and technological knowledge and skills of us as people in these areas." Mr. Baah Wiredu therefore, stressed the need for the youth in the educational institutions to take the study of science and mathematics seriously in order that there would be enough scientists to accelerate the development of the country.

Mr. Baah Wiredu emphasised that the science education received by the youth of Ghana must ensure poverty eradication for every citizen, to bring a remarkable improvement in the living standards of all the people. Mr. Baah Wiredu commended engineers at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) for their greatest efforts in developing a solar lantern, which uses batteries and said such innovations would help in addressing the country's problems.

In an address read on his behalf, Mr. Isaac Sunkwa-Hyiaman, the District Chief Executive (DCE) announced that the district assembly has earmarked about 70 percent of its revenue to provide the necessary facilities that would promote the education of the district since it has, for long time been lagging behind in education. Mr.Sunkwa-Hyiaman said the budget would cater for a number of classroom blocks, dual-desks and Teachers' accommodation, among others, in the educational sector.

Mr. Sunkwa-Hyiaman also announced that a scholarship scheme aimed at encouraging Junior Secondary School (JSS students in the area to pursue their education to the SSS level has also been instituted by the district assembly. Boys who obtain aggregate 12 at the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and girls with 15 aggregate will qualify for sponsorship under the scheme.

The DCE also said some teacher trainees in the area were being sponsored to enable them to come back from college to serve the district and expressed the hope that by the year 2006, the literacy level of the area would have improved by 80 per cent.

In a welcoming address, Mr. Ephraim Abubakari S. Abonjua, the district education assistant director in-charge of finance and administration commended the district assembly for offering 20 million cedis towards the running of the clinic. Mr. Abonjua stressed the need for the participants to take the lessons being taught at the clinic seriously in order that they would grow to have interest in science-related subjects and progress higher in education to gain employments to enhance their living conditions.