Promoting Girls Engagement in STEM through a Maiden Science Fair in a Community in Ghana

Female Faculty Members (FFM) in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) of the University of Education, Winneba, Ghana responding to a clarion call to boost girls’ engagement and interests in STEM, saw the maiden science fair for girls taking place in the Effutu Municipality in the Central Region of Ghana.  In collaboration with the Science and Girls’ Education Units of the Municipal Directorate of the Ghana Education Service (GES), 136 girls from 34 public basic schools in the municipality were actively engaged in various STEM projects during the fair. Innovative projects, relevant to society in helping to solve problems, based on any of four  themes -  Robotics, Technology, Waste Transformation, and Body Functioning - informed the overarching objective of the fair. However, the fair also included various mentoring sessions on pertinent adolescent issues in the society. Data from a survey on the fair revealed that the girls had been motivated to actively engage in STEM, and had had their interests in the disciplines hugely boosted. Therefore, it is recommended that more of such science fairs be organised by the FFM and other stakeholders in other municipalities and districts to help increase the active participation and interests of girls in STEM and related disciplines.