The Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has said President John Mahama’s renewed focus on STEM education is aimed at equipping Ghanaian students with the skills to think critically and solve problems in a rapidly changing world.

Speaking at Sawla during the President’s tour of the Savannah Region on Wednesday, Mr Iddrisu said the demonstration of robotics, experiments, and play-based learning reflected Mr Mahama’s reset agenda for education.

“As part of his tour of the Savannah Region under his reset agenda, today he dedicated STEM education, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, to demonstrate to young learners across the country his commitment to science and technology education as President of the Republic,” Mr Iddrisu said.

He noted that the hands-on approach was intended to strengthen foundational learning and make students more engaged.

“What you have seen today — robotics, experimentation, play-based pedagogy, and other forms of hands-on learning — is President Mahama’s contribution to elevating and enhancing foundational learning, to equip these young people with skills in science, mathematics, and engineering, in order to make them more curious, more creative, and better at problem-solving,” he said.

Mr Iddrisu traced the current STEM drive back to 2012, when Mr Mahama, then President, together with Vice President Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, commissioned a study into challenges facing the teaching and learning of mathematics, science, and technology.

The minister also highlighted ongoing support for teachers and schools. He said iTEC Global has trained between 7,000 and 8,000 junior high and basic school teachers across the country, while more than 4,000 junior high schools have received new teaching materials.

For the Sawla District, Mr Iddrisu announced new infrastructure projects linked to the government’s plan to end the double-track system.

“The Sawla MP was in my office to make some appeals. Under your initiative to improve secondary education, to end double track and move all schools to single track, I’m happy to announce that the Sawla District will get a new institution funded under the World Bank project,” he said.

“Another secondary school will also be rehabilitated.”

He added that the schools would include laboratories and workshops, and not just classrooms.

“These schools will not just be buildings; they will come with laboratories and workshops to support learning infrastructure,” he said.

Mr Iddrisu said the investments reflect a deliberate shift towards prioritising basic education, citing evidence that strong foundations are key to long-term academic success.

“Expert insights and evidence suggest that foundational learning and basic education hold the key to future learning success for every child. That is why President Mahama is reprioritising and realigning investment into basic education at the foundational level, with emphasis on science, mathematics, engineering and technology. That is why he is here,” he said.