The participating schools include Accra Girls Senior High School, Osu Presbyterian Senior High School and Saint Mary's Senior School.

     This year's UN International Day of Women and Girls in Science, which fell on February 11, was on the theme "Gender, Science and Sustainable Development: The Impact of Media”.

     The event in Ghana was marked on the sub-theme "Celebrating the Success of Females in the Sciences".

     The day seeks to promote education for women and girls in STEM and for their entry into scientific careers.

     The event was organised under the auspices of the Ghana Education Service (GES), the United States Embassy in Accra, the Association of Informatics Students (AIS-GTUC), the Engineering Students Association (ESA-GTUC) and the United Nations Students Association (UNSA-GTUC).

     Mrs Olivia Serwaa Opare of the Science Education Unit of the GES said there was the need for science teachers to constantly engage the girl child to be involved in science practical work.

     "This is the foundation upon which the girl child's interest, motivation, critical thinking, creativity and above all inquiry develop," she stated.

     He noted that when girls were given the opportunity to lead groups, their confidence level increases.

"During teaching and learning, rules and regulations should be set for both boys and girls.

“The boy child must be discouraged from teasing, intimidating and giving bad names to the girl child when she excels in class," Mrs Opare said.

Ms Karen Bel of the US Embassy urged girls to take STEM education very seriously; since after school, they stood a better chance of getting good employments with better salaries and conditions of service.

Ms Ethel Asante Antwi, the Programme Coordinator of GTUC, who chaired the function, said despite the fact that some successes had been chalked in STEM education of the girl child, a lot more needed to be done.

She cited internationally renowned female scientists such as Marie Curie, the first woman to win a Nobel Prize in Physics and Chemistry.

Mr Scott Croshier of the US Embassy said girls pursing STEM education could excel to greater heights.

Ms Victoria Oluwatosin Tanimowo, GTUC Students Representative Council Women's Commissioner, said the purpose of the seminar was to commemorate the observance of the UN International Day of Women and Girls in Science, to promote equal access to and participation in sciences for women and girls, and to further achieve gender equality and empowerment of women and girls.

Ms Rosemond Nelson, a second year science student of Osu Presbyterian Senior High School, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, hailed GTUC for organising the seminar for them.

She said the event had opened their minds to career prospects in STEM education.