The Lagos State Government has called for the addition of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in the curriculum of secondary schools across the state.
The Director-General of Education Quality Assurance, Lagos State Ministry of Education, Ronke Soyombo, said this on Wednesday during the unveiling of a vocational training empowerment programme for pupils of senior secondary schools and school leavers, organised by the Vocational and Professional Development Academy.
Soyombo noted that children needed practical activities and the profound knowledge that would prepare them for the future.
She said, “It is high time we start looking into skills acquisition, vocational and technical education because if we are not careful, we will lose the kinaesthetic learners in our society.
“The gospel we are trying to propagate in Lagos State is to let everybody take STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) to a very important level.
“In Science, we need to have a practical activity with our children and not where children are listening and looking at their textbooks. If the children can practice what they learn, it becomes profound learning and they have an in-depth understanding.
“For technology, we should do a lot of technical subjects in our schools. With that, we will have a lot of hands-on. The moment they that these children have a lot of hands-on, it will bring out their creativity and understanding and make them feel more involved in their education.”
Soyombo, who added that some schools only teach theoretically, noted that such would not be accepted in the state again, as there was a need to prepare the children for tomorrow’s employment.
She added, “For children to be fit for tomorrow’s employment, we need to involve them and do more practical activities. Governor Babajide Sanwoolu is very eager for every child to have more of STEM activities in their various schools. This is not the time for teachers to be standing in front of the classroom to tell the children what it is; this is the time where we want children to make enquiries on why things are like they are to make them good learners.”
Explaining why the institute was established, the founder of the academy, Ekua Akinsanya, said, “This idea was born out of the issues I had with artisans and skilled workers. When I investigated, I realised that they were not trained properly and this made me to think that if I set up a place where these people could be taught adequately, the narrative would change.
“In other countries, skilled artisans are the bedrock of the economy. So I thought that if we started building people and teaching skills properly, we would have an employable workforce.”
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