The government is set to transform Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education at the foundational level through a new curriculum review. This updated curriculum will prominently feature subjects such as artificial intelligence (AI), engineering, coding, and robotics, aimed at making Ghanaian students more competitive and securing their future.
“We want to revolutionize STEM education at the basic level to ensure a brighter future for our schoolchildren. I would like to first thank the Vice President, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, who originally conceived this idea,” stated the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, during the inauguration of the Basic Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (BSTEM) teacher training program in Sunyani, Bono Region, yesterday.
BSTEM project
The launch brought together hundreds of students from senior high schools (SHSs) in the region. The effort is aimed at equipping teachers with modern skills, digital tools, and innovative pedagogies to make STEM exciting and accessible to basic school-level learners. It is also targeted at whipping up the interest of students at an early age and igniting their curiosity, creativity, and confidence to drive national development. The project was launched in partnership with the Ministry of Education and itec Global, and is expected to benefit 8,800 teachers and 4,400 schools across the country.
Honouring Omane Boamah
Mr Iddrisu said the government would construct a modern science laboratory at the Pope John Senior High School and Seminary in Koforidua in the Eastern Region in honour of the late Minister of Defence, Dr Edward Omane Boamah, who lost his life in the tragic August 6, 2025, military helicopter crash with seven others. The construction of the proposed facility, he explained, was to honour the late Dr Omane Boamah, an old student of the school, for his loyalty and dedication to the service of Ghana and for President John Dramani Mahama.
“As we launch this BSTEM project today, I am happy on behalf of the government of President Mahama to assure the good people of Koforidua that the government will build a modern dedicated science laboratory in honour of the late Dr Kofi Omane Boamah,” he said. Revive. Mr Iddrisu said the government had revived the BSTEM project, which had stalled for several years, to achieve its full potential.
He said the new curriculum had been carefully designed to create pathways for the learners to identify and develop their talents early. “We are moving away from rote memorisation towards enquiry, problem-solving, and creativity, which will give every Ghanaian child the opportunity to nurture his or her potential, whether in science, technology, the arts, or entrepreneurship,” he said.
Mr Iddrisu said the project represented one of the ministry’s most important priorities, strengthening STEM education from the basic level, where the foundation of learning was laid. He recalled that between 2012 and 2016, under the leadership of Prof. Opoku-Agyemang, who served as Minister of Education, a committee was established to review the challenges confronting the teaching and learning of Science and Mathematics in schools, particularly at the basic level.
Mr Iddrisu explained that out of that critical review, the Basic Science and Mathematics project was born to address the challenges directly. “Over time, the project evolved to reflect global educational trends and to embrace the full breadth of STEM. This transformation led to the BSTEM project, which we are gathered here today to advance,” he said.
Mr Iddrisu, however, said no matter how well designed, a curriculum could not succeed without modern teacher training that would equip teachers with the knowledge, tools, and confidence to deliver STEM at all levels, hence the BSTEM programme.
Government ambition
The Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Professor Ernest Kofi Davies, said the aim of the government was to provide quality, accessible and relevant education to produce 21st-century graduates with balanced knowledge, skills, attitude and values.
He said the current education system focused on training entrepreneurs, innovators, life-long learners and global citizens.
Source: Biiya Mukusah Ali
