Ministry targets 25% science enrolment this year

Nana Konadu Agyeman Aug - 21 - 2023 , 12:00

The Ministry of Education (MOE) is working to increase the number of students pursuing science-related courses in various senior high schools (SHSs) across the country.

The Free Senior High School Secretariat is leading an initiative dubbed: “Operation Double Science Enrolment” to educate and sensitise the public to the benefits of pursuing science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) related courses.

The initiative is designed to educate, raise awareness and demystify science education, ultimately leading to higher enrolment rates in various SHSs across the country during the upcoming Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS).

The Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, who disclosed this to the media last Friday, gave an assurance that some interventions and plans had been put in place to ensure that this year's CSSPS recorded at least 25 per cent science enrolment as opposed to the current 12 per cent at the SHS level.

“To achieve our goal together, we now have various stakeholders undertaking a comprehensive nationwide media sensitisation campaign to sensitise junior high school teachers and candidates to emerging job market opportunities and the need for learners to select science during the school selection exercise,” the Minister said.

To allow schools to conduct laboratory practicals without physical laboratory equipment, Dr Adutwum said the Centre for National Distance Learning and Open Schooling (CENDLOS) had introduced virtual laboratories in certain second cycle schools.

“In addition to expanding the number of science laboratories, efforts have been made to enhance the capabilities of science teachers and laboratory technicians, enabling them to effectively teach science in their respective schools,” Dr Adutwum said.

He, therefore, appealed to various stakeholders, including teachers, parents and institutions, to dispel the misconception that the study of science was exclusively for academically inclined students.

To ensure that SHSs were prepared to accommodate increased enrolment in the sciences, the minister said several initiatives had been launched, including the construction of 300 new laboratories and the renovation of existing laboratories in selected SHSs nationwide.

Video documentary

A Deputy National Coordinator for the Free Senior High School Secretariat, Vera Asantewaa Andoh, who is leading the “Operation Double Science Enrolment” initiative, said there would be a broadcast of a video documentary highlighting the importance of students choosing science-related courses.

“This documentary, which will soon be aired on television stations across the country, will also provide information to parents, candidates and other stakeholders about the school selection process set to begin soon,” she said.