Some girls in Senior High School often dread choosing science as a course of study due to their perception that it is a difficult subject.

Assistant Headmaster for Academics at Accra Girls SHS, Sebastian Adama says though the grades of these students from Junior High School prove their ability to study science, they often harbor fear.

Speaking on the sidelines of AIMS Ghana's "Africa Science Week", he acknowledged the need to whip up interest among students in the field.

“Some of them came with very good grades to offer science, they then will come back to come and change their course and other areas. It is not that they can’t do it but there is a particular fear in them”, he said.

In a number of schools, science students are deprived the opportunity to take practical lessons in science education.

This may be attributed to inadequate laboratory equipment for the practical lessons.

Mr. Adama explains what pertains in other schools regarding practical science education is not different to Accra Girls SHS.

“Even if they do practical, per their numbers not all of them get to have an experience,” he added.
Through the Next Einstein Forum’s “African Science Week” celebration, students of Accra Girls SHS were granted practical skills using the Dext Technology’s Science Set.

Girls in the first year Science Class got the opportunity to perform about eighty experiments from diverse fields of study.

Students who benefitted from the project expressed their satisfaction.

The African Institute of Mathematical Sciences (AIMS), with the support of the Henry Luce Foundation (HLF) is rolling out Ghana’s edition of the program.

Project Coordinator for AIMS Ghana, Priscilla Serwaa Gyasi is calling on other Senior High Schools to support the program to expose students to practical science education.

“We went to so many schools, we came to Accra Girls because they accepted us. So we plead that other schools involve themselves and avail their students for this,” she added.