A prominent education technology company in Ghana (Dext Technology Limited) , has signed a memorandum of understanding with the University of Education, Winneba in a partnership to boost trainee teachers’ access to practical STEM tools.
University of Education Dext Science Partnership
Through this partnership, Dext Technology Limited and the University will join forces to investigate various opportunities, including direct supply of STEM tools to the Department of Basic Education, integration of the Dext Science Set in teaching at UEW, research in STEM pedagogy and strengthening industry-academia relations.
At the signing function, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Education, Prof. Stephen Jobson Mitchual reiterated the need to adopt a more practical approach to teaching, especially at the tertiary level.
“I think this partnership will really help us, it is about Ghana and it is about Africa, it is about how we can train our students so that they become more conversant with some of these practical tools,” he added.
The leader of the Dext team, Charles Ofori Antipem also the Chief Executive Officer of the company praised the effort of both parties in making the signing of the MOU a reality.
“We consider this partnership with the University of Education as a stepping stone to both the short-term and the long-term goals of improving STEM education in Ghana. Where else do we start than to train those who will be teaching the younger ones? We want to make sure that by the time students from here enter the classroom they are well equipped to deliver the kind of quality STEM education that we all pray for,” he added.
According to the 2022 UNESCO National Commission Country Report, simply 12% of students decide to seek after science in Ghana with more than 90% of schools not having well-equipped science laboratories.
READ: JHS 3 Students Worry about Teachers Strike during 2024 BECE
There is a significant and pressing issue regarding the lack of practical science education in Ghana. Students lack essential hands-on science experience, leading to a limited understanding of scientific ideas and a general disinterest in the subject.