Selected senior high schools in the Greater Accra Region were invited to a symposium organized by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Water Research Institute (CSIR-WRI).
The symposium’s goal was to provide young Ghanaians in schools with academic, mentorship, and career support as they pursue academic and employment prospects. Its theme was “Life After School: Championing Chemistry/science-Related Careers in Ghana.”
The event, according to Dr. Anthony Karikari, Deputy Director of the CSIR-Water Research Institute, would enable students to grasp their particular abilities, relationships, and chances for growth and development as prospective scientists.
He added that it would help the students discover their passion for what they loved, commit to their studies, and establish meaningful careers that would enable them to succeed in their chosen fields of specialization.
He said as part of the CSIR-WRI corporate social responsibility to Ghanaian communities, the institution contributed towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal Four which aimed to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
An Associate Professor at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Department of Chemistry, Prof. Marian Asantewah Nkansah, lauded the introduction of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematic (STEM) education and said the curriculum offered skills to students in the four disciplines.
She said for the students to succeed as young persons, they needed good educational policies, parental guidance and dedicated teachers.
Speakers at the symposium included a Principal Research Scientist at the CSIR-WRI, Dr Ruby Asmah, and the head of the Out Patients Department of the University of Ghana Hospital in Legon, Dr Afua Amoabeng Nti.
Both speakers encouraged the students to develop their spiritual capacity by getting closer to their Maker, build up their emotional, intellectual and social capabilities, and their physical capital through good grooming, learning etiquettes and excellent communication skills.
In a remark, the Director of the CSIR-WRI, Professor Mike Osei-Atweneboana, advised the students to pursue their desires and have a back-up plan in case life did not go as planned.
Institutions which participated in the symposium included Saint Mary’s SHS, Accra High School, Accra Girls SHS, Accra Academy, Achimota School and the Presbyterian Boys’ Secondary School.
An early-career research scientist with the ,CSIR-WRI, Dr Pennante Naa Ayikailey Bruce-Vanderpuije was awarded the grant for the symposium from the Royal Society of Chemistry, Inclusion and Diversity Fund (UK).