Symposium for selected SHSs ends in Accra
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Water Research Institute (CSIR-WRI) has organised a symposium for selected senior high schools in the Greater Accra Region.
The symposium which was on the theme, “Life After School: Championing Chemistry/science-related careers in Ghana” was aimed at providing academic, mentorship and career support for young Ghanaians in schools towards job and academic opportunities.
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The Deputy Director of the CSIR-Water Research Institute, Dr Anthony Karikari, who addressed the event, said it would allow students to master their individual skills, relationships, and identify opportunities for growth and development as upcoming scientists.
He said it would also enable the students to find their passion to do what they loved, dedicate themselves to their studies as well as identify fulfilling careers for them to excel in their chosen areas of specialty.
He said as part of the CSIR-WRI corporate social responsibility to Ghanaian communities, the institution contributed towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal Four which aimed to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
An Associate Professor at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Department of Chemistry, Prof. Marian Asantewah Nkansah, lauded the introduction of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematic (STEM) education and said the curriculum offered skills to students in the four disciplines.
She said for the students to succeed as young persons, they needed good educational policies, parental guidance and dedicated teachers.
Speakers at the symposium included a Principal Research Scientist at the CSIR-WRI, Dr Ruby Asmah, and the head of the Out Patients Department of the University of Ghana Hospital in Legon, Dr Afua Amoabeng Nti.
Both speakers encouraged the students to develop their spiritual capacity by getting closer to their Maker, build up their emotional, intellectual and social capabilities, and their physical capital through good grooming, learning etiquettes and excellent communication skills.
In a remark, the Director of the CSIR-WRI, Professor Mike Osei-Atweneboana, advised the students to pursue their desires and have a back-up plan in case life did not go as planned.
Institutions which participated in the symposium included Saint Mary’s SHS, Accra High School, Accra Girls SHS, Accra Academy, Achimota School and the Presbyterian Boys’ Secondary School.
An early-career research scientist with the ,CSIR-WRI, Dr Pennante Naa Ayikailey Bruce-Vanderpuije was awarded the grant for the symposium from the Royal Society of Chemistry, Inclusion and Diversity Fund (UK).