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The World Bank has provided a $60 million skill development fund, and the Ministry of Education has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting inventions centered around fields related to STEM.
Yaw Osei Adutwum, the sector minister, encouraged people to use the government’s resources to commercialize their inventions at a press conference held in Accra.
“The Ministry of Education has funds to support innovations through the skills development fund. Over $60 million has been given to us from the World Bank and what we are doing is that we accept proposals from individuals who are commercialising inventions, especially those things that are invented by our students, and they will be able to get a grant to commercialise it.”
“I am using this opportunity for people to check with the Commission for TVET at the Ministry of Education; the Skills Development Fund is under them, and that is the place where inventions can be commercialized. And I hope through that amount of money allocated to us, the challenge that you have brought about will be a thing of the past. We will begin to see Ghanaian innovators being supported to commercialize inventions and ideas brought about by our students,” he said.
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education has advanced significantly across the country under the Akufo-Addo administration, according to Minister of Education Dr. Adutwum.
In an interview with the Citi Breakfast Show, the minister emphasized how President Akufo-Addo’s administration has significantly increased the number of STEM schools as well as the capacity of already-existing schools.
Dr. Adutwum acknowledged the reforming efforts of earlier administrations, pointing out that during President Kufuor’s administration, institutions such as Odorgonno and Kumasi Anglican were transformed.
Building new schools was a priority for Presidents Mills and Mahama’s succeeding administrations, especially after the implementation of E-Blocks.
“President Akufo-Addo has decided to do both,” Dr. Adutwum clarified in response to questions regarding the current government’s strategy.
“So if you look at a school like Kumasi Secondary Technical School, you are going to see that there is a huge infrastructure intervention there. You go to Prempeh College and other schools, and then science labs have been built in some schools across the country.”
“Okuapeman Senior High School has a beautiful science lab. Wesley Girls, we did six science labs at a go, Kumasi Anglican six science labs at a go, St. Louis, six science labs at a go, Ahantaman Girls…So we have science labs that have been built across the country in existing schools.
“So the intervention is not just in the new schools; existing schools are seeing massive intervention in the area of STEM.”
Source: Ghanatodayonline.com
