■ Invest in science education to boost technological dev, FEH director tells govt
By Gabriel Dike
The Director of Corporate Development of Food Education Healthcare (FEH) projects, Mrs. Florence Acha-Ukamba, has made a passionate appeal to federal and state governments to invest heavily in science education to boost the science/technological advancement of the country.
Mrs. Acha-Ukamba who spoke in Lagos during the demonstration of new science toolbox tagged “Scibox” to pupils of Agidingbi Senior Grammar School, Ikeja, urged federal and state governments to promote science education among students.
She noted that lack of good science laboratories affect the way science is taught in schools. This is what made the FEH to come up with the innovation called Scibox to boost students’ interest in the study of science subjects.
According to her, FEH thought of what to do to rekindle the interest of students in sciences when it noticed increasing number of them losing interest and moving into social sciences or commercial subjects.
The FEH, she said, also noticed a wide gap in students’ performance in science subjects and decided to turn the situation around with the introduction of Scibox, a mobile laboratory meant for teaching Chemistry, Biology and Physics stating that, “with Scibox, students can carry out experiment on their own.’’
The director said FEH would take the Scibox round schools in Lagos State before reaching out to other schools nationwide.
A Biology teacher at the school, Mrs. Omotayo Fayemi described Scibox as an innovation that would change how science is taught in schools and disclosed that her students were happy when she used the laboratory instrument in the class.
“They were excited about it,” she reported. “For the first time, they were eager to attend class.”
Diugwu Chinasa, an SS3 student of the school, while acknowledging the mobile laboratory innovation as a major breakthrough, added that it would improve students’ performance in science subjects and hoped that the state government would provide one for her school.