President Akufo-Addo has stated that if Ghana is to achieve its dream of development and transformation, the country must target getting 40% of its tertiary student population to be engineering students as was the case in China which led to their transformation.
China according to President Akufo-Addo has been able to transform its economy particularly in the 21st century because of its strategic plan to train engineers who have gone on to grow the economy of the communist country to become the 2nd biggest in the world.
Engineering students target
The President made the observation when he received the six winners of the maiden edition of the Ghana Science and Tech Explorer Challenge Prize (GSTEP), their school authorities, and event partners at the Jubilee House today Wednesday 19 April 2023.
“The journey of the 21st century is about science and technology. The most extraordinary success story so far on the 21st century in the economy of China.
“40% of students at the tertiary level in China are engineering students and these are the statistics that we have to try and achieve if indeed, our dream of transformation is going to be more that a dream.
“[We have to target] 40% of tertiary students in Ghana to be engineering students because clearly, engineers hold the key to the process of development and transformation” President Akufo-Addo said.
Project motivation
The six students of the Udara Basic School who won the maiden Ghana Science and Tech Explorer Challenge Prize (GSTEP), Persis Oppong Agyeman, Priscilla Osei Tutu, Priscilla Appiah, Haizel Comfort Boampomah, Akua Acheampongmaa Appau and Princess Helena kranchie Agyeman exhibited to the President, the Illuminated Child Road (ICR) safety device they invented to win the prize.
“We developed this idea due to the close proximity of our school to the komfo Anokye accident and emergency unit in Kumasi. Because of that, our student were being knock-down by vehicles as they attempt to cross the road due to the speed which drivers ply the road.
“In 2020, a report from the road safety commission said that more than 60% of road fatalities that occurred involved school children. And so, considering all these unfortunate events, we saw that indeed, there was the need to make such a device and fortunately for us, that device won the maiden edition of the GSTEP challenge” Priscilla Osei Tutu said on behalf of her 5 other colleagues.
Astonished and delighted
President Akufo-Addo who was visibly excited by the innovation and the rich understanding the students displayed, congratulated them for their achievement and success.
He urged them to continue in their chosen path of endevour because potentially, they will in the near future, become responsible for important technologies that will transform the livelihoods of Ghanaians.
“A lot of people come here but I don’t think I have seen any of them do what I have seen this afternoon. I am astonished and delighted about what has taken place this afternoon an I want to congratulate you for what you have been able to do” President Akufo-Addo said.
“I take the opportunity to thank those who put the whole project together, the partners, the various entities, for this very forward-looking programme, arrangement and association that you have put together. This is the way for us to go and you have come and illuminated my day today.
“We have to find a way of getting not only the ministry of education but also the ministry of roads and transport to look seriously about the possibility of adopting the apparatus that you have invented to be used across the country” President Akufo-Addo added.
The GSTEP
The Ghana Science and Tech Explorer Challenge Prize (GSTEP) Challenge excites, encourages and supports Junior High School (JHS) students (ages 11-16) and teachers in Ghana to develop practical Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths (STEM) skills and products that benefit local communities.
During this 3-year programme, GSTEP will be working with 20,000 Junior High School (JHS) students – as well as teachers, schools and communities in the Greater Accra, Eastern and Ashanti regions – to encourage practical learning and the development of STEM and ICT skills through a series of challenge prizes.
As part of these prizes, GSTEP will challenge students to come up with innovative new ideas to solve problems in their communities and, ultimately, support them to cultivate them into enterprising products and solutions.
For Ghana to truly thrive, it’s going to take a whole community to get behind the development of our future leaders. The Ghana Science and Tech Prize (GSTEP) is a great opportunity to do just that.
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