Don't Bow To Pressure From Your Families--Students Urged

Professor Isabella Quakyi, a Fellow at the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences (GAAS), has urged students of Senior High Schools (SHS), not to succumb to pressure from families in choosing a career.

She encouraged students to choose their careers informed by their passion for it, and not because their families want that career for them, or because someone in the family, has the same career.

Professor Quakyi, who doubled as an Immunologist and Parasitology, was speaking at the Academy's first edition of 'Open Day Lecture' for Senior High Schools, on Tuesday at the school's Auditorium.

'Most often than not, students are pressured by their families to choose a career path because it is dominating in the family, or because that career has been there in the family for ages. Because everyone in the family is a lawyer, you also have to be a lawyer,' she said.

Professor Quakyi speaking on the field of science, said, most students interested in science wanted to major in medical science, because they had been made to believe that it was the best and most prestigious career.

She said girls were not interested in science because of the stereotypes depicted at homes, that science did not belong to girls adding that women scientists went on to become the best in their fields.

Professor Quakyi urged students to explore their interests, strength, and passion for a subject and choose their careers in accordance with that subject, adding that; 'Science has a broad and wide array of fields of study that if one specialises, would go on to get a proper job and even aim to be the best at'.

She called on Academia to eliminate the perception that medical science was the best option among the sciences, and introduce students to the wide array of other equally fascinating fields of study in science and the jobs that came with them.

She said the SHS was a critical point in the lives of students and they should at that stage start realising their strengths and interests, and the courses they would be studying at the Universities.

Professor Aba Bentil Andam, the President of the Academy, urged students to aspire to be better people and leaders than their parents and elders as they would be the future leaders of Ghana.

She counselled students to know that they had a responsibility as future caretakers and must prepare for the role.

There was an exhibition of various creations of what light as a power could be used for.

Students from Ebenezer Senior High School, Apostle Safo School of Science and Technology, Accra Academy Senior High School, Legon Presec, Osu Presec and Amasaman Senior High School participated in the event.