NATIONAL Mathematical Centre’s (NMC) Director/Chief Executive Officer Prof. Adewale Solarin, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to declare an emergency to arrest falling standard in Mathematics.
Solarin, who spoke in Abuja at the First National Olympiads Award for Secondary Schools, said the country needs about N180 billion to rescue the situation.
He said NMC has been partnering many organisations through competitions in an attempt to promote interest in Mathematics.
Solarin said in moving the mathematical project to international standard, NMC management awarded medals to deserving students from the first round of the competition.
He added that this year, a score of between 60 to 69 won bronze medals; 70 to 79 got silver medals and 80 and above won gold medals.
The cut off points would be reviewed upwards from year to year, he added.
His words: “We need about N108 billion to rescue the falling standard of Mathematics in Nigeria, considering the number of public schools we have. We cannot get that only from education budget; this is where we have problem in getting the fund.
“The private sector and others should be involved. I think government should declare national emergency on Mathematics like it is done in some other countries. Then national local centres should be established through to the Presidency and then funds can be gotten from various agencies to fund them.
He said the Mathematics Improvement Project (MIP) is an attempt by NMC to revamp mathematics teaching and learning at the secondary school level.
Solarin added: “It (MIP) is designed to present a clear structured and unique teaching methodology that is characterised by active teachers’ participation and monitoring of students’ activities, using the centre germane instructional materials (teaching modules, student’s workbook, models, mathematical games) and follow through evaluation mechanism.
“This is paradigm shift from the old methodology of expository method to active teaching and learning. MIP came up as a result of research findings, which stipulates that the abysmal mathematics performance of students in West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations (WASSCE) and National Examination Council (NECO), has more to do with methods of teaching than the content of curricula of the school mathematics.
“The indisputable fact about the poor performance of students in WASSCE throughout the federation over the years in mathematics is a reflection of the poor state of teaching and learning processes in Nigerian schools,”Solarin concluded.