Science education, effective syllabus key to Nigeria’s development – Ogunsanya

Policy makers and stakeholders in the nation’s education sector have been advised to deepen science education in schools and develop a curriculum that will prepare students to meet the challenges of the 21st Century Nigeria.

Segun Ogunsanya, managing director/CEO, Airtel Nigeria, gave the advice in Lagos, at the 21st Annual Lecture award of honours and postgraduate scholarship event, organised by the Stephen Oluwole Awokoya Foundation for Science Education (SOAFSE).

Speaking on the important relationship between Science Education and getting Nigeria on track digitally, Ogunsanya, who was the guest of honour at the event, also charged government, private sector and non-governmental organisations to form a ‘triangle of influence’ to accelerate and boost development in the education sector.

He noted that Science and Technology impacts every area of life and every sector, including business & commerce, health care services, education, government, banking, telecommunications, agriculture, entertainment, among others.

Making reference to the telecommunications sector, he noted that before the advent of Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM), Nigeria had less than half a million telephone lines and subscribers had to wait for up to six months before they got connected.

“But with the advent of GSM, made possible by Science & Technology, it only takes just a few minutes to get a mobile number connected today. This is what technology does, it liberates people. Currently, there are over 140 million connected mobile lines in Nigeria. And for every 10percent increase in connectivity, there is 1.3percent impact on Gross Domestic Product (GDP),” Ogunsanya said.

For Nigeria to continue to enjoy the benefits of Science & Technology, Ogunsanya therefore, recommended that Science Education should be made compulsory at Secondary School level, and stakeholders must set up programme for exceptionally gifted people in science.