THE Marshallan Relief and Development Services (MAREDES), a non-governmental organisation of the Knights and Ladies of Marshall in the Catholic Church, has launched the 2015 Support for Girls Mathematics Education in Ghana, at the headquarters of the Knights of Marshall in Sekondi.
The MAREDES Support for Girls Mathematics Education was instituted three years ago, in collaboration with ECOBANK Ghana, to motivate girls in rural areas to be interested in studying Mathematics.
Since its inception, more than 5,000 girls throughout the country have benefitted from the package, and this year, ECOBANK is providing GHC33,000 to enable MAREDES to support about 4,500 girls with Mathematics and Science-related materials, to enhance their study of the two subjects.
Broader public action
Speaking at the ceremony, the Board Chairman of MAREDES, Sir Knight Eddie Prah, called for broader public action to address the problem of failures in Mathematics in the country.
He said both MAREDES and ECOBANK were using the 2015 launching programme, which is the final year of the partnership, to draw attention to the bigger concern on the abysmal performance of students in Mathematics and Science.
He pointed out that the inability of students to appreciate Mathematics principles could impair their participation in business and other livelihood transactions in their future endeavours, adding: “We, therefore, call on the relevant ministry and agencies of government to respond to this national problem.”
Interventions
According to Sir Kt Prah, MAREDES was exploring other innovative ways of providing incentives for the girls, and also improving their access to better methodologies of teaching of the subject.
In line with that, he said, MAREDES was planning to introduce sponsored television tutorials of Mathematics particularly targeting girls, pointing out that MAREDES would also collaborate with the Ghana Education Service to sponsor in-service training for Mathematics teachers in targeted deprived communities to improve their pedagogy and general conduct in ways that will facilitate girls’ disposition to learn Mathematics.
“The government can adopt and upscale these practical initiatives by MAREDES as a way of addressing the problem. Alternatively, the government can initiate a national discourse on how to improve teaching and learning of Science and Mathematics in our schools,” he advised.
ECOBANK
The Zonal Manager of ECOBANK Ghana Limited for the Western Region, Mr Emmanuel Akron, commended the management of MAREDES for their dedication and the support being given to the needy in society.
He expressed the hope that MAREDES would continue with initiatives to monitor the impact of the project and would continue to support the well-being of the underprivileged in the society.
Report by W/Bro Albert Salia