By Maimuna Sey-Jawo
DOW Chemical West Africa, a global company based in the United States of America, has held a two-day sensitization forum for students from Muslim Senior Secondary School and St Joseph’s Senior Secondary School for girls.
According to officials, DOW Chemical Company is operating in over 175 countries with the aim of promoting science and technology, engineering and math (STEM), agriculture, packaging among other things.
The first day of the sensitization was for Muslim SSS while the ensuing day saw the team sensitize St Joseph girls.
Both events were very attractive as students were given the opportunity to ask questions pertaining to science, technology and math.
In his remarks, the Affairs leader DOW Mr. Lanre Dairo, said DOW Chemical is a science and technology company and their mission to these two schools is to encourage the young ones to improve their knowledge and interest in science, technology and math.
He thanked both schools for accepting to partner with them and assured that they will continue doing it as they find that the students are very much interested and have participated well during the forum.
Mr. Lamin Dibba, a Gambian and a member of DOW Chemical Company, said their purpose of coming to the Gambia is to encourage young people to take up STEM education seriously, adding during his time in school students do away with science having the concept that the subject is difficult.
With this forum, he expresses hope that after this event students will take science and math seriously. He noted that political leaders have a role to play in promoting math and science in the country, adding it is difficult to teach some of the science subjects like physics, biology and chemistry without equipped labs.
He said lack of lab materials is one of the problems why students run away from science.
Madam Adwoa Coleman from DOW Chemical also gave a long presentation of what DOW is all about and as well the importance of math and science.
She urged the students to take science seriously as we are living in a technological world now.
For his part the principal of Muslim SSS Mr. Lamin Marong thanked the DOW Company for choosing his school.
He noted science is a major concern his school faces due to lack of the equipment in the lab. He thus thanked DOW and urged them to continue the partnership.
