Abuja — A case has been made for the redesign the 'Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) teacher education programme in Nigeria to include pedagogical content knowledge and entrepreneurial skills acquisition.

In a communiqué issued at the end of its 51st annual conference held in Makurdi, Benue State, the Science Teachers Association of Nigeria (STAN) said this seems to be lacking in the present teacher education programme. Policy makers should therefore consider a teacher training curriculum for STEM teachers in the primary years, one that engage their pedagogical skills.

Policy makers should also consider mandating that STEM education move progressively towards a real world, 'content-based' approach to its teaching and learning at all levels of the school curriculum.

Review of school curricula should however be accompanied by resource provision while regular and functional in-service training must be made available to teachers to update their knowledge and skills, in line with the emerging curriculum, as well as information and communications technology (ICT) compliant instructional resources. Meaningful STEM education also requires adequate funding by government at all levels, the communiqué further said.

It also recommended a return to agriculture with renewed vigour and determination in order to ameliorate the harsh effects of the global economic crisis and students to be taught skills that will make them self-reliant.

The conference, with the theme, 'Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education and Global Economic Crisis', had observed that despite industrial training (IT) programmes for students at all post-secondary educational institutions, the link between them and the labour market was weak. It also noted the need to provide more opportunities for lifelong learning through e-learning, continuing education, home schooling, or correspondence courses; and the effort of STAN to enhance professionalism through the establishment of The STAN Place.

It therefore recommended that the STAN Place project should be supported by relevant institutions of government, bilateral / multilateral agencies, intergovernmental institutions and the business sector to assure its evolution into a Centre of Excellence in STEM Education.

Not the least, primary and secondary school teachers' morale should be boosted through enhanced pay by local, state and federal governments.

No fewer than 1,000 participants, including practicing teachers, school inspectors, teacher educators, officers of public, research, and developments institutions, educational administrators, and policy makers from all the 36 States of the federation and the FCT, as well as delegates from the Ghana Association of Science Teachers (GAST) attended the conference.

It featured keynote address by Prof. Akpan Ekpo, Annual Lecture of the Ajumogobia Science Foundation by Prof. Jack Holbook and the Memorial Lecture by the Immediate Past President of STAN, Prof. Paul Eniayeju.

High points of the conference were the Annual General Meeting where new officers were elected, with Dr. Prince Okorie emerging as the new President; Distinguished and Sustained Service to Science Education (DSSE) to Prof. Eunice Okeke and Mamman Wasagu, both former Presidents of the Association and the Executive Director, Dr. Ben Ben Akpan. Alhaji Umaru Mohammed also received the STAN Fellowship.

The conference commended the Federal Government for supporting Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education through the Nigeria-UNESCO Special STE Project and the Science and Technology Education Post-Basic (STEP-B) Project; Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited for the sponsorship of science projects and quiz competitions for primary and secondary school students; and the Education Trust Fund (ETF) for supporting the execution of Phase 1 of The STAN Place Project in Kwali, FCT.

It also commended the Ajumogobia Science Foundation for commencing the construction of Ajumogobia Building at The STAN Place and other parastatals such as Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), National Teachers' Institute (NTI), Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), NMC and NASENI, for their drive and commitment to human development and materials provision for the successful implementation of the universal basic education programme in the country.