Female students attend mentorship training programme
More than 50 female students from the West Africa Senior High School (WASS) in Accra have attended a mentorship training programme with a call on students, especially girls, to take up science courses to help bridge the gender gap in that field.
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At the mentorship training in Accra last Wednesday, an initiative by the United States Pharmacopeia (USP), Ghana, a doctor from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Dr Alexandra Graham, stressed the need to provide adequate motivation and support to young girls to take up more science courses.
She said with adequate encouragement and motivation from parents and stakeholders, more girls would be able to pursue science courses and take up science-related careers and compete with their male counterparts.
Science programmes
Dr Graham said to bridge the gender gap in the area of science, regular science programmes should be organised by the government and other stakeholders to bring young girls together, educate and mentor them to pursue science courses in schools, adding that: “When we do not provide support to the girl-child in this field, she will not be able to venture into science to make meaningful contribution.”
The Senior Administrative Officer of USP, Ghana, Madam Erica Asante-Yeboah, said as part of the Women in Science Exchange (WISE) programme, more girls in the country, especially in the northern part of the country, would be guided and mentored to ignite their aspirations towards careers in drug regulations and pharmaceutical manufacturing.
She said the programme would equip female scientists with skills and network with professionals in the field to enable them to develop their own careers.
She noted that as part of encouraging the study of science in the country, the initiative would be extended to more senior high schools in the country to encourage more girls to pursue science courses.
A form one student of WASS, Ms Margaret Adoma Asare, said parents should encourage their girls to pursue science and sponsor them to the university level to enable them to develop their potential in the field.
She indicated that due to lack of motivation from parents and teachers, girls did not venture into the field, allowing their male counterparts to dominate in the area.
Background
The Centre for Pharmaceutical Advancement and Training Course’s (CePAT’s) Women in Science Exchange (WISE) programme was launched on January 14, 2017 to connect undergraduate and high school female science students with CePAT Honourees and global health professionals across sub-Saharan Africa for training.
The initiative is to facilitate networking and mentee-mentor relationship to ignite students’ aspirations towards careers in dealing with drug-related issues and manufacturing of pharmaceuticals in the country.
