The Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, has announced that 12 Senior High Schools (SHS) will be offering aviation and aerospace engineering courses in the new academic year. This initiative is part of a comprehensive curriculum aimed at fostering Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education. The Minister made the disclosure while addressing participants at the STEM Promotion Roadshow held at the STEM Senior High School in Akyem Abomoso in the Eastern Region. He said the initiative aligned with the government’s goal of equipping students with the essential skills and expertise to thrive in the ever-growing realm of STEM. Dr Adutwum also said that the Ghana Education Service was engaging in a collaborative effort with universities in a unique and innovative manner of STEM. He said students who completed the aviation and aerospace engineering programme would be enrolled in a 3-year accelerated track when they enter university, rather than the traditional four-year track. ‘This track will enable our students to benefit from the knowledge they acquire in high school and use it to their advantage at university,’ he said. He also indicated that the Growth Mindset Curriculum will be introduced as an extra course of study in Ghana’s education system in the next academic year, differentiating between a growth mind set and a fixed mind set. He said a growth mindset meant a belief in one’s own capabilities and the possibility of achieving great things, while a fixed mindset suggests a lack of faith in the prospect of great things occurring to oneself or one’s country. A growth mindset, according to Dr. Adutwum, will aid people in creating their best selves in order to contribute to the growth of the country. ‘We want to envision our school children as individuals who demonstrate collaborative learning, critical thinking, creativity, and effective communication skills,’ he said, as ‘these qualities are essential for the success of individuals in our nation.’ He encouraged the children to not only accept STEM but also to cultivate a growth mindset that would improve their capacities to be more creative and innovative. He said education was a priority for the government, which would continue to put education at the centre of everything to shape Ghana’s future. He stated that, with the start of the new academic year, each student at Abomosu STEM SHS would be given a tablet, adding that the tablets had been inspected and tested in a few schools, as well as in the construction of the learning management system. He added that about 30 schools would benefit from engaging in a learning management system by using tablets to access online content.

Source: Ghana News Agency