In commemoration of the United Nations-designated International Day of Women and Girls in Science, the Telecel Foundation has trained about 100 students in foundational robotics and digital skills at the La Cluster of Schools as part of its flagship Grow Girls in STEM programme.
The interactive, hands-on session — targeted mainly at girls — reflects an intentional focus on closing the gender gap in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) from an early age.
Facilitated by the Mingo Foundation, the students were divided into groups and rotated through assembling robotic components and testing their creations to gain firsthand experience in how technology shapes the modern world.
Kyerewaa Gifty, a 16-year-old JHS 3 pupil, described the initiative as exciting and inspiring.
“This initiative from Telecel Foundation has been very exciting for us. It is our first time experiencing something like this, and we are truly proud to be part of it. The training has inspired me to pursue an engineering-related programme in the future,” she said.
Beyond technical skills, the programme also gave the pupils the opportunity to meet female engineering professionals from Telecel, who shared their personal career journeys in STEM. They answered questions, offered mentorship advice, and provided real-life examples of women thriving in fields historically dominated by men.
Grow Girls in STEM forms part of Telecel Foundation’s Connected Learning pillar, which focuses on equipping young people with practical digital skills to prepare them for the future.
“Research has shown that many young girls are just as curious about STEM, but they often lose confidence as they grow older,” said Komla Buami, Director of External Affairs at Telecel Foundation. “We believe that by introducing more young girls to hands-on experiences and careers in robotics and the digital world at this age, we help them stay curious, build confidence, and understand that STEM careers are truly possible for them.”
At the end of the training, each student received a free robotics kit to continue practising the design and building skills they had learned. The take-home kits are expected to help the girls experiment, explore and build confidence in robotics at their own pace.
Mrs Angelina Appiah, Headmistress of La Wireless 5 Primary and JHS, welcomed the initiative and commended Telecel Foundation for making STEM training kits available to the students.
“We are very grateful for this initiative. The availability of STEM training kits has allowed our students to learn in a more practical way. Our students are usually more interested and engaged during hands-on sessions than in purely theoretical lessons, so the Grow Girls in STEM initiative by Telecel Foundation has been very impactful,” she said.
As the training ended, many of the pupils expressed excitement about applying their new skills at home with renewed curiosity for STEM.
According to the United Nations, women account for 35 per cent of all STEM graduates globally, while only 22 per cent of STEM jobs are held by women — underscoring the need for sustained interventions to promote gender inclusion in science and technology.
Source: citinews
