The President of Ghana Association of Science Teachers (GAST), Mr Christian Anthony-Krueger, has called for positive measures to reactivate science resource centres to enhance the teaching of Science. He said stakeholders in education, especially the Ministry of Education (MOE), needed to show greater commitment to science and technology education by procuring science materials for these centres and also providing science parks and museums in the districts. Mr. Anthony-Krueger made the call at the launch of the Ashanti Regional science Week celebration in Kumasi last Friday which was on the theme: “Science and Technology Education; a tool for Creating Wealth out of Waste.” He said although science and technology education held the key to the development of the nation, it had not received the needed recognition and, therefore, called for incentives in the form of scholarships to science teachers and students for training locally and abroad. Anthony-Krueger said since science was humanistic, practitioners should be able to “use it as a tool to solve problems including appropriate management of our waste,” and stressed the need for an intensive training programme to train laboratory assistants. He was optimistic that these could be achieved through prudent and meaningful science and technology practices. In his keynote address, the Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr Kwaku Agyemang-Mensah, challenged GAST to develop approaches to demystify the study of science in schools. He said that would attract more students to study the subject and further enable the country to take its rightful place in the world of science. He commended the association for such conferences that provide important platform for them to evaluate their performances as science teachers within the context of the national development aspirations. The Regional Minister urged the members not to rest on their oars nor be discouraged by the numerous challenges confronting teachers generally, and assured them that the government fully appreciated their contribution and would continue to explore the means towards improving their conditions. Mr Gabriel Antwi, Ashanti Regional Co­ordinator of GAST, said the region had a lot to do to achieve the national science and technology goal of enrolling about 60-80 per cent of students of science related programmes in tertiary institutions. He commended the Ashanti Regional Education Directorate for contributing its quota towards the realisation of the national science and technology goals through interventions such as the Science, Technology, Mathematics and Innovation Education (STMIE) camps. He also acknowledged the healthy collaboration between the Regional Education, Directorate and the African Development Bank, in organising workshops for integrated science teachers in senior high schools. He said since science was a process that provide a dynamic interaction of inquiry and creative play, there was the need for tutors in the field to refresh their stock and knowledge at regular intervals. Mr Philip Owusu Afriyie, GAST Regional Chairman, called for a serious review of the Integrated Science syllabus. He observed that it was overloaded and tutors and students had to contend with voluminous and detailed topics in Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Agriculture Science and ICT. Source: Daily Graphic