February 16, 2023
The DreamOval Foundation successfully launched the 2023 GSTEP Challenge on Tuesday 14th February 2023. The event brought together teachers, partners and key stakeholders in the education sector. The theme for the 2023 Challenge is Bridging the STEM Gap: Addressing Community Challenges through Innovation. This follows efforts by the DreamOval Foundation through the GSTEP programme to increase support for young people to acquire skills in STEM while positively impacting the communities they live in.
The event was held virtually and moderated by Francis Ahene-Affoh. Mina Asabea, Project Coordinator for the programme gave an overview of the GSTEP programme and the activities lined up for this year. She explained how schools will be reached out to and listed the activities that will take place after the entries have been submitted by participants. She indicated that this year 100 finalist teams will have the opportunity to participate with the addition of the Eastern region to the programme.
Keren Beechem, Project Manager for the GSTEP programme provided key timelines with which activities of the programme will be implemented. She indicated that the timelines were developed in consultation with the Ghana Education Service to ensure that the programme does not disrupt teaching and learning. The STEM Lead for the programme, Araba Amuasi, explained the registration process and provided guidance on key to look out for during the application process.
A keynote address was presented by Stephen Kwaku Owusu, the Deputy Director General of the Ghana Education Service (GES). He lauded the DreamOval Foundation for its immense contribution to Ghana’s education sector as well as its efforts in supporting the provision of practical STEM skills to young people. He indicated that the government is putting in efforts to strengthen the study of STEM and equip students with skills to create employable young people to drive Ghana’s socio economic growth. He encouraged the DreamOval Foundation to continue to support the government’s efforts through initiatives such as the GSTEP Programme.
Concerns and clarifications concerning the GSTEP program were addressed and interested participants were encouraged to visit the GSTEP website, social media handles and reach out via phone for more information on the GSTEP program. The GSTEP Challenge is an initiative focused on providing Junior High School students with relevant knowledge and skills in STEM and Entrepreneurship. The implementation of the program is being led by the DreamOval Foundation and funded by Fondation Botnar, a Swiss philanthropic organization focused on improving the health and wellbeing of young people living in cities around the world.