District Assemblies urged to be serious with STME Clinics

Wa, Jan. 24, GNA - District Assemblies in the Upper West Region have been advised to factor into their annual budgets, the expenditure on Science, Technology and Mathematics Education (STME) clinics to enable them organise them on schedule as part of efforts to promote technical education in the country.

Mr George Guri, an Assistant Director of Education in the regional office of the Ghana Education Service, who gave the advice, noted that the progress of the nation hinged on the development of Science and Technology to produce the required manpower and that called for seriousness in the injection of resources into that sector.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency at Wa, he regretted that Sissala District for example, was unable to sponsor the STME Clinic for its students last year due to lack of funds.

"We are in another year and nobody knows what will happen to this year's programme in the district, " he lamented.

Mr Guri, who is the Regional Science Coordinator said the district had programmed for the clinic to be held in October last year, but this was later re-scheduled for December and eventually put off indefinitely.

He stressed the importance of the clinics and said through their institution, many rural students, who had no access to science resource centres were now being exposed to them and girls in the region in particular, were now developing interest in science and one was currently in medical school.

The GES Regional Science Coordinator commended the Wa Municipal Assembly for proposing to spend 45 million cedis on the clinic in the Municipality this year, which was the highest in the region, since the inception of the programme and for its intention to sponsor 120 students instead of the stipulated 100 students. 24 Jan. 05