Ghana is making a big change in education. From now on, young children will start learning STEM—Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics—right from their first years in school.
At a special training program for teachers in Sunyani in the Bono Region, the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, explained the reason behind this plan. He said, “We want to revolutionise STEM at the basic level to secure the future of our schoolchildren.”
According to him, this new project is not only about teaching numbers and formulas. Children will be introduced to modern topics like robotics, artificial intelligence, engineering, and coding at an early stage. The goal is to make learning exciting, help students become curious, and build their confidence so they can compete anywhere in the world.
The program, called BSTEM (Basic STEM), is also focused on teachers. Over 8,800 teachers from 4,400 schools across the country will be trained to use digital tools and creative methods in the classroom. This way, they can guide students in more practical and enjoyable ways of learning.
Minister Iddrisu also gave credit to Vice-President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, saying she was the first person to think of bringing STEM into basic schools.
Part of the project includes building a new, fully equipped science laboratory at Pope John Senior High School in Koforidua. This lab will be named in memory of the late Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, who sadly passed away in a helicopter crash on August 6, 2025.
Mr. Iddrisu stressed that Ghana’s education system must move away from simply memorizing facts. Instead, students should be guided to ask questions, solve problems, and think for themselves. As he put it, “Every Ghanaian child must have the opportunity to nurture his or her potential, whether in science, technology, the arts, or entrepreneurship.”
Interestingly, this is not the first time Ghana has tried to strengthen STEM education. Between 2012 and 2016, when Prof. Opoku-Agyemang was Minister of Education, a committee was formed to improve the teaching of Science and Math at the basic level. That effort is now being revived and expanded into today’s broader BSTEM project.
With this move, Ghana hopes to create a generation of learners who are creative, innovative, and ready for the future.
