On Thursday, 25th April 2024, the Ghana Education Service, through its Science Education Unit, celebrated the International Day of Girls in ICT.
The 2024 edition of the International Day of Girls in ICT was celebrated under the theme “Leadership”. One hundred and fifty students selected from various schools within the Greater Accra Region participated in the event held at the Science Education Unit (National STEM Resource Unit) of the Ghana Education Service.
To observe the day, the students participated in various activities, including a Quiz competition in ICT and robotics and various practical sessions in STEM.
In her welcome address on behalf of the Director General, Mrs Olivia Serwaa Opare, the Director in charge of STEM Education at the Ghana Education Service, emphasised that Technology plays a key role in all kinds of careers, from Art and History to Law, Primary Teaching and Graphic Design, learning Technology skills at a young age will set girls up for economic independence. She further on stated that the Ghana Education Service is celebrating the day to put a spotlight on women and girls in leadership positions within the technology sector. She went on to say that Girls’ leadership in ICT and STEM is now more crucial than ever.
She ended by saying that as the STEM ambassador for the Ghana Education Service, she will make sure women and girls have equal access to leadership training, career development and scholarship opportunities.
Speaking on the theme “Leadership”, the chairperson of the occasion, Mrs. Gifty Sekyi-Bremansu, the Director in charge of Guidance and Counselling Unit of the Ghana Education Service told the girls and the dignitaries present that to achieve full, equal and meaningful participation in ICT, young women and girls must have equal opportunities to learn digital skills and technology fundamentals, and accessible and quality education in ICT from an early age. She went on further to say that girls are unique in nature thus must be ready to take leadership roles when the need arises
The Director in charge of Girls Education at the Ghana Education Service, Mrs Gifty Amega, told the girls that the day is celebrated to stress the importance of girls in I.C.T. and encourage more girls and young women to pursue STEM education and join the tech sector. The day will also provide an opportunity for female tech leaders and professionals to share their experiences and inspire other girls and young women.
In attendance to celebrate the day with the girls were Mr Abel Ohene Acquaye, the CEO of the Ghana Olympiad Academy and organisers of the Shark Quiz, who advised the girls to lead exemplary lives. He went on to stress that as a STEM education advocate, he has provided the platform that gives girls the ability to design, develop and implement tech-driven solutions through his Olympiad Academy and the Shark Quiz.
Mr Emmanual Offei Kwakye, a Data Analyst at MTN Ghana, underscored the importance of ICT for the girl child. He emphasised that there are numerous job opportunities in the ICT field for girls, offering diverse career paths and opportunities for growth. Some of them include but are not limited to Data Analyst, Software Engineer, Network Engineer etc.
The National STEM Coordinator in charge of ICT/Computing at the Science Education Unit of the Ghana Education Service, Mr Kwasi Abankwa Anokye, took the girls through several ICT activities, such as a quiz and a Robotic competition.
Also in attendance were Mr. Hussain Kassim, a representative of HBCU GreenFund; Madam Roselyn Avagar and her team from CKBS, a Robotics and STEM organisation; and Mrs. Victoria Ansah, the National STEM Coordinator in charge of Agricultural and Environmental Studies.
Mrs Opare expressed gratitude to the Director General of GES, Dr Eric Nkansah and the entire Management for their continued support in ensuring that the day’s activity became very successful.
In addition, Dr. Eric Nkansah donated special awards to students who excelled in the ICT quiz competition. The students expressed their appreciation for the Director-General’s kind gesture and promised to study hard so they could become useful to themselves, their families, their community, and the nation as a whole.
