Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, Minister of Science and Technology, said the Federal Government would support innovators with locally produced mathematical instruments to improve the performance of mathematics in schools.
Onu said this when he was reacting to the presentation of Prof. Dikeoha Okwu, the inventor of Dikeohamatics, who paid him a courtesy visit in his office on Tuesday in Abuja, Vanguard reports.
He said it was the mandate of the ministry to promote science, technology and innovation in the country. “We will encourage you and all Nigerians with such instruments to encourage the understanding of science and technology subjects in the schools.
“We have a programme whereby we send a team to go round the country to harvest creative ideas; we give support to outstanding innovative ideas.
“So when we see innovation like this, we are happy to encourage and support it,’’ the minister said.
He, however, called on the private sector to key into such innovative ideas and support them. Earlier, Okwu expressed dissatisfaction over phobia that some students had for mathematics, saying “such teaching aid will help them to have an interest in the subject.
“If some of these mathematical tools are available in schools, the subject would have been more attractive to students.’’
He said he was motivated to invent locally made mathematical instruments to assist students to learn mathematics and make the subject easier for them to understand. Okwu, however, urged the ministry to promote the use of technology in teaching mathematics to relevant stakeholders.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that some of the locally made mathematical instruments presented to the minister were set squares and mathematical games. The mathematical games are in three categories; one- on- one, classroom set and stadium set.
