The Ghana Association of University Women (GAUW), UCC Branch, in collaboration with the Centre for Gender Research, Advocacy and Documentation (CEGRAD) has organized Mathematics and Science Quiz competition for girls in some selected Junior High Schools (JHS) in the University’s surrounding communities.

The programme forms part of a project dubbed “Girls’ Choices” which is aimed at providing Corporate Social Responsibility to the surrounding communities of the University. GAUW has won a second grant from the Bina Roy Partners in Development (BRIP) under the auspices of Graduate Women International (GWI) Special Development. The first project enabled the Association to provide some form of Corporate Social Responsibility to the University’s surrounding villages by encouraging more girls to remain in School.

Amamoma Presby Model School, St. Anthony Anglican Basic School, Kwaprow M/A Basic School and Imam Khomeini Basic School participated in the competition.

Addressing the participants during the competition, the Chairperson of the programme, Dr. Genevive Adukpo, stressed on the fact that Mathematics and Science has been a problem to most school children adding “that the fear of Mathematics and Science is part of the reasons why this quiz is being organized”. She also mentioned that the competition was to help in promoting a lifelong education for girls and also to encourage them to apply their knowledge and skills in leadership and decision making in every aspect of their lives. She added that the programme would to help the students to develop interest in Mathematics and Science so that they could overcome their fear in the study of these subjects.

The quiz mistress, Mrs. Irene Amponsah, also advised the participants to take Mathematics seriously, and avoid just reading it, but rather read, study and practice, until they perfect it. She said “Through this quiz competition, it is clear that most of the participants are weak in Mathematics”

At the end of the quiz, Amamoma Presby Model School won with 29 points, with Kwaprow M/A Basic School placing second with 28 points, Imam Khomeini Basic School third with 26 points and St. Anthony Anglican Basic School placed last with 23 points.

Credit: Pamela Francisca Manzamma Allihien