July 23, 2023
35 teams from the Greater Accra region participated in an induction event on Tuesday 18th July, 2023. This event brought together selected teachers, students, mentors and coaches of the Year 3 GSTEP Challenge. In attendance was the Regional Director of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Madam Olivia Opare, Greater Accra regional STEM coordinators, GES officials and the media. The event was to officially induct the finalists, mentors and coaches of the GSTEP Challenge into the GSTEP programme.
The Executive Director of the DreamOval Foundation, Afua Asiamah Adjei welcomed the teams to the programme and congratulated them on their selection as finalists. She encouraged them to continue to put in their best effort and assured them that they will be provided with the support they need to successfully complete the programme. Mina Asabea, the Programmes Coordinator for the DreamOval Foundation also thanked the Ghana Education Service for their support in running the programme.
Madam Olivia Opare, the Regional Director for the Ghana Education Service (GES) congratulated the finalists and encouraged them to take advantage of all the resources and support provided during the programme. Siddhartha Jha, AI and Digital Innovation Lead for Fondation Botnar congratulated the teams on their selection and encouraged them to do their best and utilise the opportunities provided them to develop their STEM knowledge and skills.
The teams participated in a series of workshops to prepare them for the Challenge and introduce them to STEM skills, critical thinking and problem solving. They were taken through team work and team building exercises, budgeting and financing sessions, and were introduced to the development of prototypes. The teams participated in fun STEM activities and were also introduced to their mentors and coaches.
Teachers were taken through sessions where they were introduced to the GSTEP programme and provided with guidance and resources on the projects their teams will be developing as well as activities they will need to participate in. Mentors and coaches were also introduced to the programme and provided with guidelines on how to successfully provide support to their assigned teams.
The induction event officially marks the beginning of the GSTEP Challenge for the finalists. They will proceed to participate in a series of mentoring and coaching sessions where they will transform their ideas into prototypes with materials and resources provided. They will also participate in industry visits where they will see practical applications of STEM. The GSTEP programme is supporting Ghana’s youth to develop entrepreneurial skills using Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.