Tuesday, October 15, 2024

Collaboration between gov’t, stakeholders can propel Ghana into 4th Industrial Revolution – CENDLOS Boss

Ghana’s drive to advance into the 4th industrial revolution hinges on effective collaboration between academia, industry, the private sector, and the government.

Executive Director of the Center for National Distance Learning and Open Schooling (CENDLOS) Nana Gyamfi Adwabour who made the call highlighted the importance of public-private partnerships in achieving educational goals.

He emphasised that collaborations like the one with Bountiful Technologies Limited are essential for developing a 21st-century workforce and fostering strong Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and reading literacy skills among Ghanaian and African youth.

Nana Gyamfi Adwabour was interacting with Ghanaian students who participated in the VEX Robotics competition in Dallas, Texas in United State of America (USA)

The students, some as young as eight, were trained in Ghana by Bountiful Technologies and competed against peers from the USA, Canada, India, and several European countries.

Following their return, the Ghana Bountiful Technologies VEX Robotics Team, accompanied by their parents and Bountiful Technologies staff, visited CENDLOS to present their trophies and demonstrate their robotics skills.

Addressing the students, Nana Adwabour commended their achievements and noted that CENDLOS has introduced various game-based learning tools to advance STEM education in Ghana.

He announced that CENDLOS will enhance its support for Bountiful Technologies Ltd. through initiatives aimed at expanding access to STEM education.

The Executive Director pledged resources and funding from the government, donors, partners, and the Ministry of Education to ensure that all students, especially those in underserved and rural communities, benefit from STEM programmes. These initiatives include VEX Robotics, the Robotics Education & Competition Foundation, and Reading Horizons.

Nana Adwabour expressed immense pride in the students’ accomplishments, congratulating them for making Ghana and Africa proud. He also extended his appreciation to the parents for their support and to Bountiful Technologies Ltd. and the Bountiful STEM Educational Foundation for their commitment to investing in Ghana’s youth through STEM, Robotics, AI, Reading Literacy, and Computer Science Education.

The visit also included a tour of CENDLOS’s facilities, such as digital and multimedia studios and ICT labs, giving students and parents a glimpse of the resources available to support their educational journey.

The next steps in this partnership will involve signing an official Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Bountiful Technologies Ltd. for a long-term collaboration. This MOU will formalize the commitment to jointly enhance STEM education, leveraging both CENDLOS’s resources and Bountiful Technologies’ expertise in robotics and STEM learning.

Through these collaborative efforts, CENDLOS aims to create a robust framework for STEM education that reaches all corners of Ghana, empowering the next generation with the skills needed to thrive in a technology-driven world.