The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) in collaboration with the National Mathematical Centre (NMC) has embarked on a week-long training exercise for 90 mathematics teachers in Bauchi state.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the one-week training Exercise in Bauchi on Friday, the Chief Executive Officer, (CEO) NMC, Mr Promise Mebine, explained that the centre was set up by the federal government to look at ways of improving the teaching and learning of mathematics.

Represented by Mr Azuka Benerd, the Registrar, NMC, Mebine said that many materials have been developed by the centre to ease the teaching of mathematics and one of which is known as the ‘mathematics kits’.

“These kits are instruments for the teaching and learning of mathematics.

“Having produced these, the centre is now collaborating with UBEC to see that all these kits get to schools because in teaching, the general principles are things before ideas and ideas before words.

“In other words, you don’t have to teach any topic without practicalizing it. The centre has produced materials to make mathematics very practical so as to make it easier for students to learn and understand,” he said.

In the long run, this would improve the performance of students in both internal and external examinations and of course, this would generate more interest in mathematics.

The advice is that they have been trained on how to use the mathematics kits given to them, we have trained them on the methods of teaching mathematics, and they should go back to their schools and make sure that the materials are used.

The old methods of teaching mathematics should be discarded and they should embrace this new method to which we have exposed them to.

The state government should of course support them by providing these materials so that generally, the method and approach of teaching would change and interest would improve.

Also speaking, the Executive Chairman, BASUBEB, Mr Abubakar Dahiru, said that the training was a refresher course conducted by the NMC with the support of UBEC.

Represented by Mr Idris Hardawa Permanent Commissioner I, (BASUBEB), the Chairman, added that the training was also to inculcate new skills and teaching techniques of mathematics to the young ones at the basic level.

“After this training, there is going to be a remarkable improvement in the relationship between the teachers and the pupils.

“Students should also develop new interests because hitherto, mathematics was viewed as a very difficult subject and so, students used to run away from it.

“However, with these new techniques and methodology of taking the subject as introduced by the NMC, students would be keen and eager to be part and parcel of the learning process,” he said.

One of the participants who spoke on behalf of others, Mr Joshua Polmi, appreciated the NMC and UBEC for impacting in them the new method of teaching mathematics which was hitherto unknown to them.

He said that the participants would go back to their various schools to change their method of teaching mathematics which, he said, was an archaic method to the modern ones they have been taught in the training.

He promised to effectively impart the knowledge acquired to their pupils and called on others to make judicious use of the mathematics kits given to them to ease their teachings.