The Concern Citizens of Upper West Region are calling on the Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum to consider setting up STEM schools in the Upper West Region.
The concern citizens in a petition to the Minister of Education said “we are aware of the Roadshows by the Ministry of Education to promote STEM. However, we have been dismayed by the absence of the Upper West Region in the plans that were announced by the Minister for Education.”
The petition started by Mr Emmanuel Mwinila Yuori appealed to the Education Minister to openly acknowledge the fact and take immediate steps to ensure that the region gets its equitable share of the national cake.
Read the full petition below.
We, the concerned citizens of Upper West Region, and our friends and supporters, have been excited at the establishment of special STEM schools in the country. We believe that global developments require us, as a nation, to seriously consider the training of the youth in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. We are aware of the Roadshows by the Ministry of Education to promote STEM. However, we have been dismayed by the absence of the Upper West Region in the plans that were announced by the Minister for Education. It is for this reason that we submit this petition for your consideration.
We wish to petition you, Hon. Minister of Education, to take note of the lamentable neglect of the educational needs of the Upper West in particular and the overall developmental concerns of the region in general. We particularly refer to the matter about STEM schools.
2. We have noticed with heavy hearts that the Upper West Region is often neglected in the distribution of development projects. There is a general dissatisfaction with the slow rate of development in the Region compared to others. We appeal to you, Hon Minister, to openly acknowledge this fact and to take immediate steps to ensure that the Region gets its equitable share of the national cake; in particular the glaring gap in educational infrastructure relative to the rest of the country. We refer particularly to the establishment of special STEM schools.
3. We call on the Ministry of Education and Government as a whole, to seriously consider setting up STEM schools in the Upper West Region to demonstrate an equal concern for all parts of the country.
4. We particularly recommend that, for a start, some Senior High Schools could be adopted and reconfigured for the specialised teaching of STEM courses. Later, a special school (or schools) could be built for STEM in the Region.
5. We appeal to you Hon. Minister, to take a by-partisan view of this matter and act with dispatch for the benefit of the entire Upper West Region.
6. We assure you, that the Upper West Parliamentary Caucus have our unflinching support in this matter, and are willing to speak with one voice for the benefit of our home Region.
7. We thank you Hon. Minister, and we know you would do all it takes within your power to ensure that the school going children of the Upper West, our children, and indeed YOUR CHILDREN will sooner than later, get to enjoy what their colleagues are currently enjoying elsewhere in the country with respect to the innovative STEM programme.
ONE GHANA FOR ALL! ONE STEM FOR ALL!