Academic City University College has hosted the Sci-Tech Fair second edition, one of two events of the STEM Festival – another initiative of Primetime Limited, producer of the National Science & Maths Quiz (NSMQ).
Ten senior high schools have converged on the campus of Academic City and are being challenged to build projects from scratch, on the topic ‘Recycling – Transforming waste into Reusable Products’. This event will take place from Thursday, September 22 to Saturday, September 24.
Given the growing significance of STEM education, Academic City has embarked on a partnership with Primetime to advance the field among young people. The goals of this programme are to increase opportunities for young people in Ghana to explore and showcase their innovative ideas, and to encourage the study of STEM subjects in schools.
The fair will have two parts: an exhibition, and a competition between senior high schools called the Sci-Tech Innovation Challenge. This gives students and tech start-ups a place to put theory into practice by using the science concepts they have learned in class to come up with solutions or inventions which can help solve problems in Ghana.
The competing schools include Prempah College, Mfantiman Girls SHS, St. Augustine’s College, Obuasi SHTS, Tamale SHS and St. Thomas Aquinas SHS.
Others are Archbishop Porter Girls, Our Lady of Grace SHS, Okuapemman School and Ghana National College.
The university believes that the STEM Festival provides a suitable venue for encouraging and influencing young Ghanaians with relevant knowledge and experience on how to leverage the STEM opportunities for Ghana’s economic development.
Dr. Lucy Agyepong, Associate Dean of Engineering at Academic City, stated at the event: “I believe this initiative is crucial to Ghana’s socioeconomic development through leveraging the relevance of STEM. Academic City, as a forward-thinking educational institution, is eager to collaborate with relevant stakeholders on projects that expose children, adolescents and the general public to STEM education’s opportunities”.
Beyond the competition, Dr. Lucy emphasises the importance of interpersonal skills gained through teamwork. “They develop teamwork skills and even cultivate camaraderie with their peers,” she added.
The Managing Director of Primetime Ltd., Nana Akua Ankomah-Asare, stated that the theme for this year’s event is timely, as waste management and sanitation remain among Ghana’s most pressing issues.
According to her: “Primetime hopes that the student projects will amplify the campaign on proper waste management and provide a platform for innovative products addressing this issue to be showcased and, hopefully, put to good use”.
