A total of 6,000 Junior High School students in Accra have been targeted for the maiden Electrical and Electronics Clinic introduced by the Zongo Inspiration Team (ZIT) in collaboration with the National Society of Black Engineers – Ghana (NSBE).
The flagship project, which seeks to promote STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education in Ghana, started on March 7 at the Al Banat Preparatory School premises in Nima where 60 students were introduced to basic electrical concepts in light, magnetism and electrical circuits.
Facilitated by volunteers from ZIT and NSBE, the students were placed in teams of eight and offered directions that enabled them to apply the basic electrical skills acquired to construct circuits and power simple light bulbs using the provided electrical schematic.
President of ZIT, Rabiu Maude said the collaboration with NSBE was a strategic venture that will help stimulate the study of STEM in a large number of schools within Zongo communities.
“Teaching and learning outcomes in the sciences are poor in Ghana and worse in deprived communities. As a group interested and involved in bettering educational standards within deprived communities, ZIT partnered with NSBE to give better learning outcomes by exposing pupils to a better appreciation of engineering through practical fun lessons,” he said.
The opinion leader expressed satisfaction with the performance of the children who were thrilled by the two-hour experience. He entreated them to be meticulous with their studies and be open to learning and understanding new concepts.
Billy James Dega, the director of programmes for NSBE Ghana said the objective of the Clinic is to incite curiosity amongst Junior High School students and to sustain their interest in science by exposing them to practical scientific methods.
The Clinic will continue on March 13 and 14 at the Madina Islamic School in Madina and the Bethany Preparatory School in Nima respectively. This is part of the first phase of the Clinic which will run for a year covering various basic schools in Accra.
The Zongo Inspiration Team (ZIT) is a registered group made up of dozens of experienced professionals from mostly underserved communities in Ghana who are grooming underprivileged youth through mentorship.
Launched in 2014, ZIT has organised mentorship programmes including its flagship Zongo Dream Mentorship Clinic in Accra and Kumasi respectively.
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