By Muhammed Nasiru Adejoh.
Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Steel Development, Hon Abdullahi Ibrahim Ali Halims, has distributed science equipment worth multi millions of Naira to secondary schools in Ankpa, Omala and Olamaboro local government areas, pledging his continued commitment and investment in the education sector.
Speaking at a sensitization advocacy in awareness and use of locally developed science equipment at the Kogi State College of Education, Ankpa, on Thursday, where the equipment were handed over to the benefiting secondary schools and technical college, Halims said he would continue to invest in the education sector to boost the capacities of students and teachers to cope with modern trends and global best standards in education.
Halims, who was ably represented by his senior legislative aide, Hon Okeme Emmanuel, explained that the gesture was in line with his promise to reposition the education sector through the provision of all necessary teaching aids that would, in turn, develop students and grant teachers the capacity to prepare them for maximum performance in both internal and external examinations.
Earlier, while declaring the event open, the Provost of the Kogi State College of Education Ankpa, Dr. M. K. Ibrahim revealed that it was imperative to take a step forward from the archaic practice of teaching science subjects without students’ deliberate exposure to the practical aspects of science using modern equipment.
The Provost commended Hon. Halims for making easy, rural students’ access to practical science.
The Principal of Agaliga Community Secondary School Efabo, Olamaboro Local Government Area, Pastor Philip Okpe while making a remark identified investment in science education as a catalyst to development noting that no nation can achieve sustainable development without investing in education, especially a solid orientation in Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics which he equally described as life sciences stressing that the importance of the use of these equipments to the overall success of the students in science subjects cannot be overestimated.
Barr. Tony Omali, on his part, urged all benefiting schools to make good use of the equipments.
“Teachers and students of science should work with these items in their school laboratories to achieve the purpose for which they were acquired. Starting from this year’s external examinations, I want a hundred per cent pass in science subjects.
“Better performance in science examinations is the only thing that can justify the huge amount of money invested in the procurement of this equipment,” he said.
In his practical lesson, the Head of Equipment at Scientific Equipment Development Institute, Dr. Ephraim Ozoihu said the federal lawmaker is a good leader and future visioner.
He said the world is hurriedly inclining towards earth, physical, bio and information technology as the era of teaching science subjects without the use of relevant science equipment has gone for good. Thus, the procurement of the state-of-the-art scientific equipments should not be taken for granted.
In her remarks, the Principal of Demonstration Secondary School Ankpa, Hajiya Ahmadu Hauwa Atule who doubled as the host Principal said science and technology are pivotal to the development of every society and what Hon. Halims has done is uncommonly developing local capacity to evaluate, absorb, and improve scientific and technological knowledge of students for better understanding of science.
The project was facilitated through the Scientific Equipment Development Institute(SEDI), Akwukwe, Enugu State and schools drawn from the three Local Government Areas of Ankpa Federal Constituency went back overwhelmed with multi million Naira worth of scientific equipments.
