A university teacher, Oluwole Familoni, has urged the Federal Ministry of Education and other relevant agencies to implement relevant policies aimed at stimulating interest in the study of science courses.
Familoni, a professor of Chemistry at the University of Lagos, made the appeal at a conference to announce a forthcoming training for private school science teachers.
The training, which holds at the Federal Science Equipment Centre, Ijanikin, Lagos, between July 13 and 14, 2015, is being organised by the Science Ambassadors Foundation.
Familoni, a patron of the foundation, said the Federal Government did not require a new policy to encourage pupils to embrace science subjects, as there were many policies requiring implementation.
The don, who said that Nigerian pupils were not adequately motivated to embrace science education, noted that only a few get admission placements to study sciences.
He said, “The government should know that we cannot develop without science. It is on this basis we need to do something very urgent. Science has been relegated to the background; this should not be the case.”
The Convener of the foundation, Chinyere Nwabugwu, said science education was crucial to Nigeria’s industrial breakthrough.
Calling on corporate organisations to collaborate with relevant institutions in supporting science education, Nwabugwu said everybody would benefit when science is embraced fully.
According to her, Nigerian pupils who do well in science have a wide range of activities they can explore to create business enterprises.
