By Gifty Amofa/William Fiabu, GNA
Accra, Oct. 25, GNA – Professor Kwabena
Frimpong-Boateng, Minister for Minister for Environment, Science, Technology
and Innovation (MESTI) Thursday tasked Science teachers to design experiments
that students can perform to transform theoretical Science studies into
practical life.
This, he said, would make students become more
innovative and problem solvers upon leaving school.
They should at least be able to estimate time,
distance, volume, height, among other things, that would aid in tackling the
daily problems of citizens.
Prof Frimpong-Boateng made the recommendation
in Accra, on Thursday, when the Founders of the Science Set by the Dext
Technologies, (a Ghanaian start-up technology company under the mentorship of
the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence) presented an African Union
Award they won, in Senegal, to him.
Science Set is a portable, syllabus compliant,
scalable science laboratory designed to enable students to carry out experiment
in the classroom or anywhere without having to go to the traditional
laboratory.
He explained that no nation would thrive
without putting innovation and ideas
into practice, thus the need to train students to be innovative.
The Minister said Ghana was ranked the 41st in
terms of population but was the 147th when it came to Human Resource
Development, which measured Education,
Income and Life Expectancy, among others.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the
Minister said, was interested in Science, Technology, Engineering and
Mathematical (STEM) , therefore, through MESTI and the Ministry of Education,
students would be trained to handle such subjects to advance national
development.
He commended Charles Ofori Antipem and Michael
Asante-Afrifa, the founders Dext Technologies for not only raising the name of
Ghana high but also being innovative.
This would enhance teaching and learning of
STEM, which had always seen to be abstract, as the components would guide
students, he explained.
“With this Ghana is set to change for the
better,” he said.
He urged Ghanaians, especially alumni bodies
to help resource their alma-mater, with
the Science Set to complement the Government’s efforts in giving free education
to students.
Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, a Deputy Minister of
Education said, making students innovative would help in job creation after
school and it would lay the foundation for national socio-economic growth.
It would also help nurture engineers , among
other relevant professionals, who were in high demand by companies to stop the
situation of recruiting them from outside the country, he said.
He said as the youth had brought Ghana’s
innovation to global standards, parents, Members of Parliament, District
Assemblies should support the good cause by getting them in schools.
The user friendly set, he said, would help
give practical concrete experience as well as give evolution to theory, adding
that it was the best way to teach and learn Science.
He encouraged the youth to emulate as that was
the only way to aid Ghana’s development.
The winners were accompanied by Mr Tony Kofi
Adu Gyau, Director General of Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in
ICT.
Mr Ofori, explaining the function of the
Science Set said, the electronic device had 45 components, which helped to
perform practical step activities in the classroom and it was also easy for
teachers to use.
The GH¢120.00 Set has a magnifying glass,
transistors, iron filings and more, which would help learners from the Basic
and Senior High Schools to study Science with ease, he added.
He thanked Prof Frimpong-Boateng for
recommending the device, which won the AU’s most Innovative Educative Solution
in Africa, this month.
It has also received awards from the American
Society for Mechanical Engineers; Royal Academy; the Ghana Institute of Engineers’ among
others.
GNA