The government is working to convert the Mamfe Methodist Girls School into a robotics school.
In an interaction with CODERINA, a charity that helps to promote and strengthen coding and STEM skills among African students on their upcoming National Robotics Competition in Accra, the Minister for Education, Dr. Yaw Adutwum says this decision is due to the achievements of the school in robotics.
Dr. Adutwum says the ministry will engage heads of the school and the Methodist Church on this.
Educational robotics strengthens and support students develop their knowledge through creation, design, assembly, and operation of robots.
Educationists believe it is one of the best ways to develop the cognitive minds of children and the youth.
However, the study of robotics has not gained much interest among children, mainly because there are no laboratories for the needed training in this new area.
Few schools such as the Mamfe Methodist Girls School in the Eastern Region are making a name for themselves, both at home and abroad, in the development of robotics.
But, sadly, these students who have excelled in this field globally do not have any examination certificate of their achievements, because WAEC does not have any examination for the subject.
Education Minister, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, says the government plans to expand robotics in schools and get students to write an exam on robotics.
CODERINA, a non-profit, working to promote coding and STEM skills among African students, was at the Ministry for discussions on the upcoming National Robotics Competition among selected SHS and Primary Schools in May.
The Coderina board chair, Edtech Fermi Adjeye, believes robotics is the future and Africa must position itself for that
Dr. Adutwum welcomed this idea and mentioned plans to convert the Mamfe Methodist Girls School into a robotics school to support the new Science schools being built by the government to develop robotics in the country.
Coderina presented 21 robotics kits and 11-thousand dollars to the Ministry. The National Robotics Competition involves 16-selected Senior High Schools and 5-Primary Schools and comes off in May 2021.
