Robotics to become a teaching subject at basic schools – Deputy Minister
Deputy Minister for Education in charge of Basic and Secondary Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, has announced that soon, Robotics, a branch of science studies would be taught right from the basic level of education.
This, he said followed the triumphant winning of the Methodist Girls Senior High School (Meghis) at an international competition held in the USA, beating Japan, Korea and USA, world technological giants among others at the 19th edition of the Robofest competition.
He said the exploits of the team from Meghis, who represented Ghana, had made it clear that Ghana had the potential to exploit Robotics as a subject of study and therefore, the Ministry would want to pursue that.
Announcing this at the Akwasidae of the Chiefs and People of the Kyidom/ Mamfe Traditional Council in collaboration with the Akuapem traditional area, the Deputy Minister also indicated that one of the coordinators that coached the team to victory, Mr Ben Amoako would be absorbed into the Ghana Education Service.
A Gh¢5,000,000 endowment fund was also established by the Kyidom/Mamfe Council for the Methodist Girls Senior High School’s science related activities.
According to Dr Adutwum, the victory of the girls was no mean achievement giving the fact, that some of the countries they contested with such as the USA “Robotics are taught right from the basic level and so for these girls who only started the robotics at the secondary school level to beat them, it is a great honour”.
Mr Ben Amoako, a private person who was hired by the school to coach the 10-member team in addition to Paulina Ansaa Captan, an old girl of the school who completed last year. The duo led the school to win the Robofest competition.
Dr Adutwum commended the Traditional Council for taking the lead to establish the endowment fund to enhance the potentials of the team and pledged government’s support to ensure that the target of the fund was fully realized.
The Member of Parliament for Okere and Minister for Regional Reorganization and Development, Mr Dan Kwaku Botwe, said the performance of the girls must be hyped to serve as an encouragement to all girls that education was not the reserve of boys.
He noted that recently, there had been reports that Girls at the Junior High school level in Ghana were smoking shisha adding that, “the success stories of these girls must be told everywhere to influence girls to sit up”
Mr Botwe pledged the contribution of the Eastern Caucus of Members of Parliament to the endowment fund and improvement of education at large in Akuapem and the Eastern Region.
Source: GNA