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A university lecturer, Dr Sunny Michael Yaako, has lamented the level of neglect by government and school authorities of the “modernized and innovative ways of teaching mathematics.”
In an interview with this publication in Port Harcourt, Dr Paako, who is a lecturer in the Department of Science Education at the Rivers State University, called for a review of approaches to teaching mathematics in schools, suggesting that more practical steps and methodologies must be taken if the subject is to be made more effective and enjoyable by students.
According to him, “if the foundation is not properly tackled then there is bound to be problem because mathematics is a practical oriented subject that has to do with basic demonstrable concepts for it to be easily understood, especially in areas that have to do with graphics and geometrics which are areas most students normally avoid in external exams like WASCE, NECO, GCE etc.”
He added that the inability of schools to adopt practical and innovative approaches in teaching the subject inadvertently has led to mass failure in internal and external exams, even as he called on governments at all tiers to make concerted efforts towards providing labs for the teaching of mathematics, at least at the primary and secondary levels.
He maintained that employment of mathematics teachers should not only be based on only certificates and superficial knowledge of concepts and methods of the subject, but on solid background and innovative methods of the subject, especially in the area of pure and applied mathematics.
“I think mathematics teachers should be employed based on their vital background in the subject, demonstrable acumen and sharpened capacity to adapt to new dynamics and methodologies of the subject”, he said.
