– Mrs Olivia Serwaa Opare, Director, Science Education Unit, Ghana Education Service says the teaching of Science courses must be aligned with a practical approach to improving effective learning outcomes.
“Science must be taught in a practical approach, it is not talking, but doing because the students see the subjects as fun and relates it to daily activities,” she said.
Mrs Opare said this on Monday in an interview with the Ghana News Agency at a practical training of Science teachers and laboratory technicians on the effective use of Science equipment and chemicals supplied to 165 schools in Senior High Schools across the country.
A total of 670 participants will receive training across the country. Some 193 participants drawn from the Greater Accra, Eastern and Volta Regions took part in the first training programme which started on Monday, February 14 at the National Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Centre.
Also, 64 participants in the Western and Central regions, 61 from Bono, Ahafo and Bono East regions, 228 from Ashanti, and Western North and 124 participants from the Northern, Oti, Upper East, West, North East and Savannah regions will also undergo the training programme.
Mrs Opare noted that a practical approach to teaching Science made the subject more interesting, saying the Service was ready to demystify the notion that Science was difficult.
She stated that practical lessons had resulted in 90 per cent of work done, because “it is interactive and allows the learner to have field experience.”
Mrs Opare called for a paradigm shift from the theory-based teaching of Science to a system of exposing students to hands-on experience to make them critical thinkers and problem solvers.
Practical experience, she emphasized, helped students use all senses to perform experiments to become critical thinkers full of innovations to contribute to national growth.
The training, she said, would complement Government’s efforts in improving STEM courses in the country.
As part of the commitment to the advancement of STEM education, the Government had commenced the development of 20 STEM centres, and 10 model STEM Senior High Schools across the country, which were at various stages of completion.
The Government had worked to improve the Science to Humanities ratio to 60:40. The introduction of the one-year pre-engineering programme would further increase that ratio.
The pre-engineering programme was launched after consultations with Tertiary institutions to create non-traditional pathways for Arts students to read engineering.
Mrs Opare said the Service would institute a follow-up mechanism to monitor the activities of the teachers for feedback, as well ensure value for money.
She advised the teachers to serve as ambassadors for the programme, and to impart the knowledged gained to other teachers who could not attend the training.
Dr Asare Yeboah, Headmaster of Osei Tutu Senior High School, Kumasi, said it was the expectation that there would be an improvement in the country’s West African Senior School Certificate and Basic Education Certificate Examinations.
Mr Abel Kodjo Tetteh, Biology teacher, Nifa SHS, Eastern region expressed satisfaction with the training, saying “this training has introduced me to DNA extraction and an illustration of the effects of Osmosis on plants cell.”
“My expectation after the programme is for me to be well equipped with the skills of conducting Biology practicals to teach the students for better comprehension.”
Mr Richard Addo, Chemistry teacher, New Nsutem SHS, described the training as an excellent intervention, especially with the introduction of new equipment.
Mr Maxwell Addo Ahwireng, Physics teacher, Ofori Panin SHS, said the training had helped him to manipulate the new machines, stressing “this was my first time experiencing the Air track set, which is used to explain topics in motion.”
Source: Ghana News Agency