Basic school learners to access STEM tools under new reform drive – Dr Apaak

Deputy Minister for Education, Dr. Clement Apaak, says primary school pupils will gain access to STEM tools under the government’s education reform agenda.

Dr. Apaak announced the move on Saturday evening during the launch of the Horlap Experience, an innovation showcase, where he outlined how the reset agenda under John Dramani Mahama places strong emphasis on early science and technology education.

He explained that Ghana’s ability to compete globally depends on exposing children to science, technology, engineering and mathematics at the foundational level.

“If we are to produce the needed manpower to survive and thrive in this very competitive 21st century, clearly we cannot do that without robotics,” he said.

He added that technological advancement is no longer optional.

“We can’t survive without artificial intelligence, and indeed automation is something that has already come to stay.”

Dr. Apaak disclosed that a team is currently working on a new national curriculum to reflect these priorities.

“Part of that exercise is to ensure that our wards, the future of this nation, have access to start early in learning science, technology, engineering, and mathematics,” he stated.

Central to the reform is the rollout of what government calls the STEM Box initiative, recently introduced to basic schools. The programme targets pupils in upper primary, specifically classes four, five and six, across the country, including those in rural communities.

“The STEM Box is designed to allow our pupils in upper primary, primary four, five and six, across the country, including rural areas, access to the basic equipment that a student would need to be able to learn STEM,” Dr. Apaak said.

He described the intervention as a practical step toward ensuring that children acquire hands-on exposure to the building blocks of robotics.

He said he was convinced that it will position them to contribute meaningfully to Ghana’s technological and economic transformation.