Govt sets up 100 more science resource centres

The government has added 100 more Science Resource Centres (SRC) to the existing 200 as part of measures to demystify the teaching and learning of science and mathematics in senior high schools (SHSs).

The 100 resource centres will be operational this academic year.

In view of that, 154 teachers ad 50 laboratory technicians have started a four-week intensive training programme in Kumasi to prepare them for the effective use and teaching of students when the academic year begins in September.

The training is being undertaken by the International Training and Education Consultancy (itec Global) of UK.

Between 2012 and 2014, all the laboratories were supplied with science equipment and Information and Communication Technology (ICT)-based science facilities and chemicals while 960 science teachers and laboratory technicians were trained.

The Minister of Education, Prof Jane Naana Opoku-Agyeman, announced this when she visited the participants in the training workshop in Kumasi yesterday.

Students’ failure

She said the government was determined to find solutions to the problem of students’ failure in science and mathematics.

Prof. Opoku-Agyeman was hopeful that the provision of the equipment and facilities would help provide hands-on science education to enable the students to improve upon their performance.

She urged the teachers to take their training seriously and adopt strategies that would make the teaching and learning of science very interesting to the students while at the same time imparting knowledge to the students.

SRC Coordinator

In an interview with the Daily Graphic, the Coordinator of SRC, Mr Augustine Owusu Agyemfra, said the teachers were selected from deprived schools and the intention was to ensure that students in deprived SHSs also benefited from science education.

He urged the teachers to take advantage of the training to enhance their performance.