It forms part of the $ 8 million dollar KOICA Girls STEM project to enhance and encourage girls to partake in science education, being implemented in 10 districts in Cen­tral and Eastern Regions.

It included beakers, test tubes, tripod stands, spring balance, test tube holders, stopwatches, hand lenses, measuring cylinders, a set of garden stools, and others to encourage the practical learning of science programmes in the schools.

The Country Director of KO­ICA Ghana, Mr Donghyun Lee, who presented the education mate­rial in Accra said the “girls STEM project” was initiated by KOICA to embody the collective commit­ment to empower young minds, breaking barriers, and fostering inclusivity in education.

“Today, we come together not only to review the progress made so far but also to witness a pivotal moment as we hand over essential teaching and learning materials that will further enhance the education­al experience for our beneficiaries.

Education is the cornerstone of progress, and the Girls STEM by KOICA project stands as a testa­ment to our belief that investing in the education of young girls is an investment in the future,” Mr Lee said.

He said the four-year project, with funding from KOICA, was a gender-responsive pedagogy project that generally sought to improve the competency of Junior High School (JHS) STEM educa­tion, stressing that, about 400 JHS, were beneficiaries of the ongoing project.

The Director General of the GES, Dr Eric Nkansah, thanked KOICA for their immense con­tributions to Ghana’s education, es­pecially in the area of STEM, and expressed optimism that the items would improve the teaching and learning of science in the country.

He said about 12.5 per cent of students were able to pursue science programmes in the various Senior High Schools, stressing that, girls’ participation in STEM educa­tion had significantly reduced.

Dr Nkansah implored Girls to embrace STEM education with all seriousness since science education had become one of the priority requirements to further their edu­cation at the tertiary level.

He called on benevolent individ­uals and organisations to support help improve science education in the various JHS and SHS, as the government welcomes such col­laborations to achieve the STEM initiative.

Dr Nkansah said by harnessing the power of STEM, Ghana could address societal challenges to enhance productivity and improve the overall quality of citizens.