The Zonta Club of Accra has organised a symposium in conjunction with the British Council to demystify Science and advocate for girls to have a love for Science as a subject while pursuing Science related courses and careers.  This, the Club believes would help produce technological manpower to help with the development of the country.

Speaking at the symposium, which was attended by students from Labone Senior High School, Roman Ridge School and Ghana International School (GIS), the President of the Club, Florence Ohene-Kyei called on parents to encourage their daughters to pursue Science in school. 

She underscored the need for parents to dare their girls to dream and take up Science-based careers in male-dominated fields such as Engineering, Medicine, aeronautics and many other Science-based careers.

She made a special appeal to teachers and all other influencers to encourage girls to take up the Sciences at school. She believed that such a direction would in turn influence the future career choices of the girls. She added that the country needed technological interventions in its development and women could make some impact in that national drive.

Contributing to the symposium was a Ghanaian PhD student in Aeronautics and Astronautics at the Purdue University in the United States of America, Miss Sabina Nketia. She advised the students to stay focused and work assiduously towards their future careers. 

Miss Nketia has been nominated by the Club to receive a scholarship by Zonta international to pursue her PhD. This is a special scholarship, Amelia Earhart Award, offered by the Club each year to young women in the Sciences. 

In her contribution, Miss Larisa Akrofi, Editor-in-chief, “Levers in Heels”, an online portal and a Biomedical Engineer, urged the students to be adventurous in their selection of a career. She advised them to look for virgin areas to make a difference. 

She said there were many available opportunities that the girls could avail themselves to. She added that networking was necessary and called on the students to build networks in their chosen areas.

Pharmacist, Miss Marian Davis, in her contribution, explained the practicalities of the job market, emphasising that the job market goes beyond academic certificates. She said it was important that the girls identified persons they look up to in their areas of interest as mentors and get practical ideas and encouragement from them.

The students were taken through some guidelines in university admissions by Yvonne Lartey, Assistant Registrar of the University of Ghana.

The symposium which formed part of Zonta Club of Accra’s Golden Jubilee celebrations is also in line with Zonta International’s annual commemoration of Amelia Earhart, an American 'Aeronaut who pioneered the work of women in aeronautical engineering in the 1930s in the United States of America (US).

In 1937, Amelia Earhart embarked on an around the world flight, accompanied only by a navigator. She flew as far as the Pacific Ocean Isles but the aircraft was lost and has since not been found.