Segun Awofadeji
11 March 2008
interview
Lagos — Director-General and Chief Executive of the National Mathematical Centre (NMC), Prof. Sam Ale was in Gombe recently, where he fielded questions from Segun Awofadeji.
What exactly are the mandates and mission of the National Mathematical Centre (NMC)?
The National Mathematical Centre was established by decree 40 of 1989 to develop and deploy appropriate initiatives and resources of international standing to rekindle and sustain interest in the study of Mathematics and Mathematics Sciences general at all levels as a response to the decline in the production of mathematical scientists in Nigeria. The bottom up approach to catch them young at the secondary school, is an additional way to the top bottom approach which the Centre has decided to pursue vigorously to further demystify mathematics and the sciences, as well as make them simple for everyone to study.
We are glad to say that our various efforts and approaches to fulfill our mandate are beginning to yield encouraging results in the popularisation of Mathematics and the sciences; students' performance in public examinations; and in the production of high level manpower in the mathematical sciences through the Joint Higher Degree Programmes, Mathematics Improvement Programme (MIP) National Incentive Scheme, Production of Teaching Module; Students' workbooks, Mathematical Games and Organization of Workshops for School Teachers, Establishment of Primary and Secondary Schools Mathematics Laboratories, Nigerian International Mathematics and Science Olympiad (NIMSOCOM) Programme, NMC Electronic Classroom Mechanism the Wiz Teacher (ICT Kits), Nigerian Universities Computer Programming Contest.
So, the mandate of the centre includes:- Train and develop high-level personnel in the Mathematical Sciences namely Mathematics, Mathematical Sciences Education, Statistics, Computer Science and Theoretical Physics for Nigerian and African Institutions; Create a resource centre to serve national and international communities as a focal point for advanced research and training in the mathematical sciences and its application; enhance collaboration among mathematical scientists especially between young Nigerian scientists, and other advanced and scientists from within and outside Nigeria; identify and encourage young talents in the mathematical sciences; stimulate enthusiasm for the physical sciences in young Nigerian students and scholars; prepare Nigeria for a leading role in the mathematical sciences; encourage and support activities leading to the improvement of the teaching and learning of the mathematical sciences at all levels; attract good mathematical scientists from all over the world into the service of Nigeria; provide facilities for scientific conferences and the publication of the proceedings arising there from; tackle national set goals in the development of mathematical sciences.
What are the strategies adopted for realizing the centre's mandates?
In order to achieve these objectives, the Centre has adopted the following strategies which include conducting series of specialised lectures of courses for the purpose of up-grading post-graduate students in the field of mathematics sciences to a level where they can begin to understand research papers and seminars; conducting seminars, workshops and symposia in such areas as the Academic Board of the Centre may, from time to time, determine or plan; developing appropriate and relevant curriculum materials for schools and teacher education institutions; inculcating mathematics culture in every Nigerian pupil and student. Designing and producing appropriate instructional materials for schools; sensitizing policy makers to the importance of mathematical sciences for survival in this technological age so as to formulate and implement adequate programmes for general improvement of the teaching and learning of mathematical sciences in the country; exploring avenues that can stimulate enthusiasm for the physical sciences in young Nigerian students and scholars e.g. by organising and sponsoring national competitions, quizzes, talent hunts, Olympiads, etc; executing within available resources, a visiting programme for mathematical scientists, under which mathematical scientists can visit the Centre for short periods to work on their individual research problems using the library, computing and other facilities of the centre.
We are proud to mention that the Centre had always enjoyed the support and cooperation of our various institutions of higher learning in the discharge of our statutory functions.
Why are you in Gombe?
My top management staff and myself are in Gombe to see how we can together develop human capacity in the mathematical sciences. We have noticed that students from most states of the country perform poorly in the mathematical sciences, so, we are here to provide the remedy, which we know, to the people of Gombe State, particularly we also want to pay courtesy call and congratulate Governor Muhammad Danjuma Goje for the good works he's doing in Gombe, but more importantly to also let him know that we want to partner with him in developing human capacity in the Sciences.
What is the Mathematics Improvement Project (MIP) all about? How many states have embraced it?
The MIP aims at creating a new methodology for enhancing secondary school students' performances in mathematics in public examinations, organised by examination bodies like JAMB, WAEC and NECO. The project is a by - product of the finding that students' abysmal performance in mathematics in public examinations can be directly linked to poor teaching methodology rather than curricula content.
The project is supported by the use of mathematics games, mathematics laboratory, teaching modules/workbooks for primary and secondary schools, all developed to supplement the traditional method of teaching and learning of mathematics through the chalkboard method. These support programmes which have the objectives of demystifying mathematics, thereby removing mathematics phobia from students and pupils alike, will go a long way in stimulating the enthusiasm for the physical sciences in young Nigerian students and scholars. I'm glad to say that we have about eight states that have embraced the project. We try to reach the States' Chief Executives and we go to these States just as we have come here (Gombe) and you can see the enthusiasm they have in embracing the project. We are still going to other states' Chief Executives because we want every state to embrace it.
Is it the teaching method or the syllabus that is the problem with the subject?
Well, all over the world, the curricula for mathematics at different levels are actually the same. But there is the apathy because of a wrong notion that mathematics is difficult and for the talented ones. We are trying to let them know that anybody can be good in mathematics, but the present problem is the result of non-qualified teachers teaching mathematics. If you have non-qualified teachers teaching mathematics, you expect that the students too will not be qualified in any examination they take, and this is one major problem. Also the attitude of students to mathematics is very negative and this is one of the things we are trying to address, to give them a positive attitude towards the teaching and learning of mathematics.
You are collaborating with the university of Abuja in the joint higher degree programmes in courses such as financial mathematics. What efforts are you making to expand the scope of this programme to other universities?
Yes, in fulfilment of one of our mandates to develop and train high level personnel in the Mathematical Sciences for Nigerian and African Institutions, we have initiated the joint higher degree programme in collaboration with six Nigerian Universities in the following areas not being offered in any Nigerian universities: Financial Mathematics - University of Abuja; Mathematics in Biomedicine - University of Jos; Mathematical Modelling and Simulation of Engineering Systems - Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi; Mathematical Ecology - ATBU, Bauchi; Mathematical Modelling in Maritime Technology - Federal University of Technology, Owerri; Information and Communication Technology in Mathematics Education - University of Ilorin, and Information and Communication Theory - Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile - Ife. After the mandatory verification exercise, the National Universities Commission (NUC) in 2007 approved the running of the Joint Higher Degree Programme MSc, Ph.D in Financial Mathematics with the University of Abuja. We are in the process of admitting the second set of students for the special post graduate programme, while still pursing our goal of prosecuting all our earlier proposals. So it is not only University of Abuja that we are collaborating with at the moment. We had so many courses in mind, but approval was only given for Financial Mathematics and that is why we started with that for now, and we do hope that approvals would be extended to as many areas by the NUC.
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