By Kelechi David
The Ekiti State Universal Basic Education Board, SUBEB has commenced
a 6-day training workshop for 600 Mathematics and Science Teachers
from across the State.
Declaring the workshop open at Ikere-Ekiti, the Chairman of Ekiti
SUBEB, Professor Femi Akinwumi explained that the focus was to improve the methodology for the teaching of Mathematics and Science subjects in
public primary schools in the State.
Prof Akinwumi described Science subjects and Mathematics as
fundamental courses that must be handled with tenacity of purpose adding that provision of solid foundation for pupils in Mathematics
and Science subjects was a major prerequisite for them to becoming
Medical Doctors, Engineers and renowned Professionals in other allied occupations in future.
Stressing that tutors are vital stakeholders in the quest to ensure
qualitative education, Akinwumi reiterated the resolve of the Fayemi led administration to ensure proper training and retraining of
teachers in the State.
He said that SUBEB organized the workshop with the theme, “Strengthening Mathematics and Science Education”, SMASE in conjunction with the Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC to
primarily expose teachers to the latest methodologies that could be used to arouse the interest of pupils in supposedly more difficult
subjects.
“Teachers who teach Science subjects and Mathematics need to be confident with what they are teaching, they also need to have appropriate techniques and strategies of motivating the pupils to have interest in the subjects because if these subjects are not taught well at the basic education level, it will extremely be difficult for pupils
to catch up at a higher level in future”, Akinwumi emphasized.
According to him, SUBEB in partnership with UBEC, had trained over
12,800 teachers, Head Teachers, School Principals, School Support Officers and other staff of public schools on modern teaching methods and other ways of improving service delivery in schools from the last quarter of 2020 to date.
Akinwumi assured that the State Government would continue to improve
the basic education sector through development of the teaching and
learning environment, continuous and robust monitoring of schools to ensure standard, equitable distribution of teachers.
He also assured that government would continue to establish new schools to guarantee access to school especially now that school enrolment in the state had increased due to the introduction of the
free compulsory education policy by the Fayemi administration.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Permanent Secretary , Mr. Oluwadare Ajayi who was represented by the Board’s Director of Quality Assurance, Mr. Dele Owolabi, explained that Strengthening
Mathematics and Science Education Programme was introduced in
Nigeria in 2012 through the assistance of the Japanese Government
with the aim of improving quality of teaching Mathematics and Science
subjects in terms of attitude, pedagogy and mastery of content.
He urged the participants to pay rapt attention to resource persons
at the workshop so that the programme will achieve the required multiplier effect on the teaching and learning of the subjects in
schools in the state.
Also speaking the Director Training of the Board, Mrs. Temitope Olusola-Shittu stressed that participants at the training were expected to cascade the training when they return to their various schools.
Responding, one of the beneficiaries of the training programme, Mr.
Makinde Babatunde said that he had tremendously impacted by the exercise
especially on attitudinal changes.
Mr. Babatunde promised to utilize knowledge acquired to deliver his lessons.
Also speaking another participant, Mrs. Miracle Ojo explained that methods of teaching was initially teachers centered but now the training had exposed them to various methods that would allow
school children to interact freely with their teachers.
