The programme is also intended to ensure practical and hands on approach to the teaching and learning of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects in basic schools.

The three-day programme, on the theme “BSTEM, Equipping the youth with basic foundation skills for creativity and national development” is expected to train 600 pupils from different schools within 31 circuits in the Accra Metropolis.

Mr Stephen Abamfo, Accra Metro Director of Education, who launched the programme, said the development of a nation depended on the type of education given to its future leaders.

He said the basic school education curriculum had been restructured to allow them learn by exploring the environment on their own.

He said the GES was committed to deliver quality education to the youth as they were crucial to the nation’s development.

He entreated the pupils to concentrate and ask relevant questions on the various activities they would be engage in and keep the knowledge impacted to them as it would be vital for their future careers.

Mrs Vivian Adjo Tetteh, the STEM Coordinator, Accra Metro, said the programme was an intervention by the GES to promote effective teaching and learning of STEM subjects in basic schools geared towards hands on activities in the classroom.

She said the experiments were to enable the pupils become critical thinkers, problem solvers, digital literates, as well as code and programme which was an activity enjoined in the Standard Base Curriculum.

She disclosed that the BSTEM programme was initiated in 2018 with 100 schools benefiting from the programme and assured that GES was committed to making sure every child benefitted, hence the need for expansion of the programme to other public basic schools.

Mrs Olivia Serwaa Opare, the acting Head of Science Education Unit, GES, said the education service had been concerned over the theoretical teaching and learning of science at basic schools.

She said there was therefore the need to apply a practical approach to enable pupils acquire core competencies that were already in their Standard Base Curriculum which includes, creativity, critical thinking, problem solving and digital literacy.

She said by the end of the programme, the pupils would have acquired knowledge and skills of the core competencies due to the hands on activities they would partake in, adding that their communication skills would also be enhanced as they would have to work in groups and communicate with facilitators and colleagues.

Mrs Opare advised the pupils to take every activity serious and share the knowledge gained with others who never had the opportunity to partake in the programme.

The BSTEM activities include science experiments on filtration, electronics, connecting simple circuits, mathematics, working with simple place value chats, Robotics, making of robot cars and puzzle fixing.