Levers in Heels Features STEM Education Project-Based Learning | NSBE West African Zone

Ghana has been ranked last among 76 countries across the world in the latest biggest ever global school rankings in Mathematics and Science.

The question we should be asking ourselves is, what are we going to do about this?

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) think tank says the comparisons, based on test scores in 76 countries, show the link between education and economic growth.

According to the OECD’s education director, Andreas Schleicher;

“This is the first time we have a truly global scale of the quality of education. The idea is to give more countries, rich and poor, access to comparing themselves against the world’s education leaders, to discover their relative strengths and weaknesses, and to see what the long-term economic gains from improved quality in schooling could be for them.”

Last year, we acquainted ourselves with some organizations that support and propel STEM efforts in Ghana. Let us not forget that the little amount of resources available to educate, train and advise our students in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields, despite the poor ranking, are meaningful.

The future of this nation will rely utterly on the innovation and problem-solving skills that our generation of students CAN bring to the international table.

Today, we highlight the efforts of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), West African Zone, in driving STEM education and advocacy across the subregion.

The National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), with more than 29,900 members, is one of the largest student-governed organizations in the world. Founded in 1975, NSBE now includes more than 394 College, Pre-College, and Technical Professional chapters in the United States and abroad. NSBE’s mission is “to increase the number of culturally responsible black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally and positively impact the community.”

The West African Zone falls within Region 1 of the National Society of Black Engineers and is comprised of over 6000 members. The majority of these members are from Ghana and Nigeria. The zone also includes other countries such as Cameroon, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Benin, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Sierra Leone and Togo.

In Ghana, the society has organized STEM-based projects in high schools and universities to encourage and develop problem solving skills among students.

A recent project on Microcontrollers was organized at the Accra Girls Senior High School.

Microcontroller Project with some Students at the Accra Girls Senior High School

The aim of the project was to introduce the students to microcontrollers, and to give them an insight into the numerous applications of microcontrollers in the world of technology today.

NSBE West African Zone Membership Chair, Ewoenam Honu, with students

“I believe as a country, if we intend to progress and also be able to produce students who can compete globally, there is a need to focus more on STEM and to inject a mindset of technology into the younger generation. When we take a look around us, all the countries that have made tremendous progress in terms of development have done so as a result of technology inclination. This is basically what we hope to achieve through these STEM projects. We intend to continue these projects in our various Pre-College Institutions (PCIs), as well as community schools in Omanjor and Dwenewoho, all rural areas in Accra, Ghana.” – NSBE West African Zone Membership Chair, Ewoenam Honu.

How can you get involved? Kindly send mail to: wazmembership.nsbe@gmail.com  NSBE.org

This article first appeared in Levers In Heels, click here to check out the blog.