The African Science Academy(ASA) has held the 9th edition of its Maths Masterclass in Jirapa in the Upper West Region. The programme, which was held on the 25th of November, was designed to create a community of Mathematics educators with top-notch knowledge on teaching mathematics to provide the right support for their students by arousing and sustaining their interest through engaging pedagogical approaches by designing fun activities, games and using technological tools and platforms to support learning.

With support from Tullow Oil, ASA collaborated with the Ghana Education Service(GES) through the Ghana Society for Education Technology (GSET) to present the 9th edition of the ASA Maths Masterclass which was held at the FMM Centre in Jirapa. 60 Maths teachers selected from Senior High Schools(SHSs) within the region benefited from the training. Present at the masterclass were the Headteacher of ASA, Ms Gifty Ghansah, the GES Regional Training Officer, Mr Larry Azuma, the Regional & Municipal HRs of GES; the founder of GSET, Mr Miracule Gavor and Mr. Stephen Nukporfe, a professional associate at GSET. 

Tullow Oil has been the proud sponsor of the  ASA Maths Masterclass since its inception in 2017 as support to the ASA to drive the professional development of Senior High School (SHS) Mathematics teachers across Ghana. The Masterclass has so far trained over 580 teachers and impacted the educational journeys of more than 58,000 learners. 

Participants were guided through practical sessions in Algebra and Trigonometry, Assessment, and techniques of teaching challenging concepts in selected topics in the mathematics curriculum. The cherished teachers were introduced to technology integration into instruction, discussing extensively, platforms and tools to facilitate learning in their classrooms. Gender, Social Inclusion (GESI) and Differentiation, and the need to start offering support systems to female learners to help narrow the gap between males and females in STEM fields were explored by the facilitator, Ms Levina Teye. 

Facilitated by Mr. Miracule Gavor, the teachers had a practical session on how to keep the learner engaged to trigger learning. The discussion also centred on the teachers viewing themselves not just as repositories of knowledge but as facilitators who guide the students to discover knowledge-learning. 

The African Science Academy is an all girls school dedicated to the development of gifted young girls from across Africa with focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) areas. ASA aims to be the leading STEM education institution in Ghana and Africa at large by providing opportunities for females to support them in their career progression.