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Sandema: Teachers, students embrace STEM bootcamp by US-GH alumni

Teachers and young girls in Sandema, the capital town of Builsa North District in the Upper East Region of Ghana, have benefitted immensely from a five-day workshop dubbed STEM Bootcamp For Girls From Underserved Ghanaian Communities.

Sandema: Teachers, students embrace STEM bootcamp by US-GH alumni

This was organized by US-GH Alumni and sponsored by The US Dept. of State and The US Embassy, Ghana.

The workshop comprised three sessions:

- A two-day professional development workshop for Science, Mathematics and ICT teachers

- A two-day science and robotics workshop for JHS girls and

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- A Mentorship Seminar, Distribution of TLMs and Distribution of sanitary pads to girls and schools.

The students were very excited for taking part in the workshop, as they experienced the practical nature of science.

They were taken through food tests by Mrs. Jo-Ann Neequaye (ILEP, 2018).

The students were excited as they witnessed the occurrence when drops of iodine solution was added to food substances such as kenkey, rice, orange, water, banana, etc.

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They were later taken through electrical circuits and a robotics seminar by Mr. Evans Odei; (ILEP, 2015) and a Global Teacher Prize Top 10 Finalist. The students were guided to:

- Build electrical circuits (in series and parallel connection) and

- Assemble robots.

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The students were also taught efficient studying practices by Mr. William Ababu (ILEP, 2018).

At the end, the students were grateful to the organizers of the workshop and pleaded with them [the organizers] to make the workshop a regular occurrence.

The students revealed that the hands-on approach used in teaching the STEM courses helped rid them of their initial fears of studying STEM courses.

Mrs. Virginia Elliott; the Public Affairs Officer at the US Embassy, Ghana, was excited about the zeal the students showed and urged them to take advantage of the opportunity which has been afforded them.

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“One of the top priorities of the US Embassy is to create opportunities through education to unlock a lot of doors for your future,” she told the theming students, urging them to lookup Education USA for guidance on how to study in the United States.

All materials used during the workshop, including: Dext Science Kits, Test tubes, Litmus Paper, Mathematical sets, Charts and Tools for the effective teaching and learning of Science, Mathematics and ICT were given to the participating schools to enable the students practice more.

About STEM Bootcamp for Girls

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The STEM Bootcamp for Girls seeks to empower ladies (especially those in deprived communities) to participate in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

It is an initiative of the US-GH Alumni and is sponsored by The US Dept. of State and The US Embassy, Ghana.

The facilitators of the program included;

1. Evans Odei – ILEP, 2015 (Mathematics)

2. William Ababu – ILEP, 2018 (Mathematics)

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3. Alex Boadu – ILEP, 2018 (Mathematics)

4. Jo-Ann Naa Dei Neequaye – ILEP, 2018 (Science)

5. Ankomah Kwadwo Johnson – TEA, 2021 (Mathematics)

6. Millicent Nyandiba Ayaba – MWF, 2019 (Project Office, NGO)

7. Rabiyatu Yakubu – YES, 2011 (Medical Laboratory Scientist)

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By Gideon Baiden

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