• President Mahama launches STEMBox to boost practical science education

• Program aims to modernize learning and support local tech-focused industries

• Reports show major gaps in ICT labs and equipment across primary and middle schools

President John Dramani Mahama officially launched the STEMBox on December 4, introducing a kit designed to make science lessons interactive and accessible for primary and middle school students. The ceremony brought together Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu, education officials, and project partners.

The president said the STEMBox gives students age-appropriate tools to understand scientific concepts, build small machines, explore circuits, energy, and motion, and develop creative problem-solving skills through practice. The goal is to make science learning concrete, engaging, and effective while expanding access for all students.

The initiative also aims to stimulate local manufacturing, create new jobs, and strengthen Ghana’s position as a technology-driven country. The education minister noted that the innovation will modernize and transform teaching and learning nationwide.

The program comes at a time when practical learning in Ghana is constrained by a lack of equipment, limited laboratory space, and a teaching approach that remains largely theoretical. A 2023 report from Africa Education Watch (EduWatch) found that only 15 % of public primary schools and 13 % of middle schools have functional ICT facilities.

Conditions are even more challenging in marginalized areas. Out of 1,033 schools assessed in 2025, only 21 — 2 % — had an operational ICT lab, according to EduWatch’s Review of the Education Sector Medium-Term Development Plan (2022–2025). Even in better-resourced schools, just 8 % of the 769 institutions surveyed had a functional lab. Another study showed that in several regions, none of the audited schools had a science lab and nearly 90 % lacked basic learning materials.

Félicien Houindo Lokossou