The former Minister of Education Dr Yaw Adutwum, has revealed that his focus was centered around making Ghana the best nation in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education.

In an interview on the JoyNews AM show, Dr Adutwum expressed his ambition to elevate Ghana to one of the best countries globally in STEM education.

Reflecting on his vision, he recalled a legacy statement he made during his visit to Harvard University and questioned whether the country would be able to achieve it. "When I reflect on the legacy statement I shared during my visit to Harvard University, I ask myself if we will be able to do it," he said.

Dr Adutum explained that STEM has always been a topic of discussion, especially among the nation's leaders.

"STEM has always been something that you hear our presidents talk about," he said. "The famous sixty-forty ratio – 60% of students at the tertiary level in STEM-related fields and 40% in the humanities has been widely discussed. Unfortunately, it has been hard for the most part to implement."

He continued to express his confusion about the disparity between the number of students enrolled in science at the high school level and those who go on to study STEM at the university.

"I don’t seem to understand why we have about 14% of our students in high school enrolled in science, but when they get to university, we expect 60% of them to become science-related students," he said.

He acknowledged the challenges faced by the education system and emphasised the importance of looking at global examples for solutions.

"We had to begin to take a look around the world," he shared. "And of course, I always say, I am one of the luckiest education ministers in the world, having taught in the classroom, gotten the opportunities to develop schools in America, that kind of experience, policy administration, and being in the trenches, teaching mathematics and computer science, and moving up from there to be a developer of networks for schools it has given me a unique experience that very few education ministers will have."

Reflecting on his appointment by former President Akufo-Addo to help transform Ghana’s education system, Dr Adutum explained that he approached the role as an outsider, focusing on identifying and addressing the gaps in the system.

"When I was invited by former President Akufo-Addo to come to Ghana and help him transform the Ghanaian education space, I came as an outsider, and began to look at the gaps," he said.

"The greatest challenge in any educational system is when your education system is not transforming your country, "he lamented.

Dr Adutum made it clear that the focus on STEM education was not only about improving education but also about preparing Ghana to compete in the global economy.

"The emphasis on STEM was to make sure that in this 21st century and this Fourth Industrial Revolution, are we going to create a competitive economy? Are we really going to change the fortunes of Ghana?" he asked.

He explained that STEM education goes beyond just sending children to school.

"STEM education is not about children coming to school," he said.

"When you see children doing robotics, flying drones, and doing things they have never done before, it is indirectly creating the next-generation workforce for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which will lead to the transformation of Ghana, that was my focus," he concluded.