By Leonard Okachie
Abia State Government has said that it would phase out much use of theory and introduce practical method of teaching science subjects in secondary schools in the state.
The state Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Mr Goodluck Ubochi, said this in Umuahia on Thursday during the kick off of science competition for all science teachers in the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the competition was organised by ASSPPAA-ISBORS Platforms Limited in collaboration with the Abia State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education.
Ubochi, represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mrs Uchechukwu Kalu, said that the measure was to enable the students perform better in science subjects like Physics, Chemistry and Biology.
He said that the science competition would bring out the best in science teachers and positively impact on the performance of senior secondary school students in science related fields.
Ubochi commended Gov. Alex Otti for his special interest in education, including regular payment of teachers’ salaries, provision of educational facilities and others.
According to him, Abia teachers are now receiving their rewards on earth.
Also, Hope Nwosu, the Director, Science, Technical and Vocational Education in the ministry, appealed to the state government to ensure that science teachers formed bulk of the proposed mass teachers’ recruitment in the state.
Nwosu, who commended the state government for rehabilitation of technical schools, called for equipping of the schools with enough science laboratories.
She said that lack of facilities negatively affected the performance of students in public schools in the past.
The Co-founder of Science Teachers Championship, Patrick Ochuba, said that the state would witness a paradigm shift in the teaching method of science education from the theory-practical to core practical.
He disclosed that best science teachers and students each would receive N50,000 and N20,000 monthly respectively, to encourage them.
Ochuba therefore urged all school principals to register their schools on the platform, to enable them participate in the science competition.(NAN)
