Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia the vice president of Ghana recently broke ground on the construction of an ultra-modern lower secondary dubbed 21st century lower secondary in Essikado-Ketan constituency.
Developed as part of the 21st-century community schools initiative, and slated to be completed within a period of 10 months the ultra-modern lower secondary will be a two-story facility with a total of ten classrooms and five separate laboratories to facilitate STEM or rather science, technology, engineering, and mathematics study from the ground levels of secondary education.
Investing in STEM education
According to Dr. Bawumia, the West African country could not afford to linger in the trenches if significant progress and the goal of Ghana’s Beyond Aid were to be realized.
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The vice president said that the current industrial revolution necessitated a focus on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics for growth adding that the government is investing extensively in STEM education in order to promote the country’s economic growth by initiating programs like the ultra-modern lower secondary project.
“Our goal is to lay a solid STEM foundation and reposition our education system to produce a critical mass of students proficient in critical thinking, problem-solving, data, digital, and computer literacy,” he explained.
Lower Secondary in Essikado-Ketan to contribute to governments aim to ensure that Ghanaian students became globally competitive
Ghana’s Deputy Minister of Education, Reverend John Ntim-Fordjour, claimed that the multiple government’s efforts in STEM and TVET were intended to overcome the weak link that had existed since the implementation of the 1987 educational reforms that created the Junior and Senior high school.
With the ultra-modern lower secondary project set to begin, the government’s overarching goal was to ensure that Ghanaian students became globally competitive by combining relevant academic content with experiences that cultivated the skills required to participate effectively in socio-economic transformation.
Mr. Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, Western Regional Minister, praised the government for considering generations as well as electoral gains. Also in attendance, Mr. Joe Ghartey, MP for the Essikado-Ketan constituency, noted how the UMAT campus was already promoting economic growth in the area and hoped that the constituency might become a hub for STEM and TVET education.
