The 8^th Cohort of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) Ghana have engaged hundreds of students in two schools in the Ledzokuku-Krowor Municipality to demystify misconceptions about the study of Mathematics and STEM education. 

The programme manager in charge of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at AIMS Ghana, Beauty Beatrice Kwawu, said the Mastercard Foundation with its partners such as the AIMS, identifies talented young people and empowers them with a sense of purpose and a commitment to improving the lives of others through the Scholars Program. 

Generally, Mathematics and STEM-related courses are believed to be challenging due to their abstract nature. However the Mastercard Foundation Scholars' project aims to dispel the misconception that Mathematics is inherently difficult and inspire students to embrace Mathematics and pursue careers in the field. 

Clad in their AIMS Ghana branded T-shirts, the Scholars started their give-back visitations at the Martey Tsuru Presby Junior High School from 12th February to 13th February, before rounding up with another visitation to the famed O’Reilly Senior High School on 15th February.

It was a win-win situation for the scholars, teachers, and students. The headmaster of Martey Tsuru J.H.S., Mr. Gershom Osei Akoto, on behalf of the school expressed gratitude to AIMS Ghana for enabling the Mastercard Foundation Scholars to visit his school and commended the Scholars for the commitment with which they carried out the teaching project.

He described the visit as timely and helpful as the activities carried out with the students would encourage them to develop an interest in the study of Mathematics and Science.

The students acknowledged that the exercise had broadened their horizons and made it easier to understand Mathematics education. Yasmine Animah, a student of O’Reilly SHS could not hide her joy at the turn of events. 

“The truth is I am very happy that your institution (AIMS Ghana) visited us. We were told that today we would learn how exciting mathematics is and indeed we did. Based on the sessions, I learned that maths is not all about finding x within an equation. I was inspired by our engagements and now I recognise that Mathematics is not only practical, but can be used in so many subject areas, and features in various aspects of our lives!” she said. 

The scholars taught the students simple ways of learning Mathematics and engaged in activities relating to the study of Mathematics while motivating them to pursue careers in Mathematics and Science. The current cohort of Scholars comprises 33 Scholars including 12 women, drawn from 10 African countries, including Malawi, Uganda, DRC, Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, Kenya, Cameroon, Zambia, and Algeria.

During this project, the scholars were privileged to share their experiences regarding their prior belief that Mathematics was difficult and how their perspective changed when they developed an interest in learning Mathematics. The scholars emphasised to the students the importance of cultivating a strong interest in learning Mathematics.

Additionally, through the various approaches, the scholars helped the students to realise the applications of Mathematics in all STEM-related fields and in everyday activities. They made it clear to the students that there is no field to which Mathematics cannot be applied and that learning Mathematics does not limit them to being mere teachers.

“We were pleased that, at the end of the exercise, the students expressed their intention to make a conscious effort to apply the strategies unveiled during the project when studying Mathematics and STEM-related topics to excel in their academic pursuits,” Dorcas Olanike Agboola, a Scholars' Council representative said.

AIMS is a Pan-African network of Centres of Excellence for post-graduate training in mathematical sciences, research and public engagement in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. In 2018, AIMS Ghana achieved the status of a UNESCO Category II Centre of Excellence.