The Zonta Club of Accra, Ghana, is sponsoring 10 teachers per year for the next three years from various Abokobi Municipality schools in the Greater Accra Region for STEM training at the Practical Education Network (PEN). STEM education has become essential for improving education in Ghana.
PEN is an organization that trains STEM teachers through a series of workshops where they learn and share hands-on activities that complement the Ghanaian curriculum. These activities are created from locally available basic tools, making the training cost-effective. They improve learning outcomes by building teacher capacity in STEM. PEN has trained more than 8,600 Ghanaian teachers in STEM and reached more than half a million students with this experiential approach in five years.
The first training, which commenced on 27 September, was a testament to the club's active involvement. The teachers, who were the beneficiaries of the club's sponsorship, were present at the opening ceremony, along with officials of the Ghana Education Service and PEN. The teachers finally received their certification on 10 April, marking a successful culmination of the training.
The club helped achieve this goal by raising funds from family, friends, and corporate organizations. This training is essential because one of Zonta's causes is expanding access to education, and STEM is an initiative to expand access to education. There is a shortage of STEM teachers in public primary and junior high schools in Ghana.
This training has helped the teachers impart their knowledge to the students using basic tools that are easily accessible and affordable. They are also able to capture the students' attention because of the interesting tools they use. The club hopes that by supporting the schools with STEM training, they will be sowing seeds of innovation, curiosity, and discovery into the minds of the next generation. The training for the next batch of 10 teachers will begin in June 2024.