Ministry of Education to transform teaching of mathematics

The Minister of Education has pledged to collaborate with the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS), Ghana and other mathematics bodies to make the teaching of the subject more practical and lovely.

Dr Yaw Adutwum said the contributions of AIMS would be a strong foundation to empower prospective and mathematics teachers to be professional, identify the challenges and needs of the students and respond accordingly.

The Minister said this in Accra on a virtual platform to commemorate the International Day of Mathematics, also known as Pi Day, which falls on March 14, organised by AIMS on the theme: “Mathematics for a Better World”.

He said the government had invested and prioritised the study of Science and Technology and Engineering Mathematics to encourage students to focus more on the sciences subjects and drive the country’s growth.

“Government believes that if we enhance the teaching and learning of mathematics, the country's socio-economic development will be enhanced to the fullest”.

He encouraged mathematics teachers to help demystify the notion that mathematics was difficult and encourage the students to appreciate the importance of the subject for national development.

“Mathematics is everything around us but unfortunately there has been a misconception about the subject being difficult. I think mathematics is the easiest subject in the world because everything about us revolves around it”.

Dr Adutwum explained that the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the importance of mathematics in everyday life, saying some models had been used to understand the rate of spread of the virus and establish the two-metre social distancing.

He assured AIMS of the Ministry’s support to encourage students to appreciate that mathematics was not an enemy but a friend.

He commended all mathematicians across the globe for ensuring that children acquired the necessary tools and understanding of the subject to contribute to national development.

Dr Abdourahamane Diallo, the Head of UNESCO Accra Office, commended AIMS for organising the event to create awareness about the importance of mathematics, saying scientists had been guided by statistics to predict the evolution of happenings.

He said UNESCO would continue to support activities geared towards the promotion and study of the subject and urged tertiary institutions to intensify efforts to address issues of stereotypes on the subject.

Dr Prince Koree Osei, President, AIMS, Ghana, addressing the theme, said it was clear that mathematicians developed foundational abstract ideas and models used to solve problems of nature and to explore ideas that made the world a better place.

He said the Institute was the first non-for-profit pan-African Centre of Excellence for postgraduate training, research, teacher training and public engagement in Mathematics and the Allied Sciences.

In a panel discussion, some participants and students of mathematics said the role of mathematics had helped researchers to recommend to authorities the need to institute a lockdown during the increasing rate of COVID-19.

Some advised mathematic teachers to begin teaching students the application of mathematical models and how it was transferred into theory for better comprehension of the subject and not the other way round.

Ahead of the commemoration of the day, AIMS Ghana launched its 10th-anniversary celebrations on Monday, March 14.

The Chief Operations Officer for the Centre, Ms Adelaide Asante, lauded all stakeholders, including partner institutions, ministries and industry, for their active participation in discussions surrounding Mathematics and its Applications in Africa.

She said the theme for the IDM celebration, “Mathematics Unites” was befitting, especially because, after a decade of making an impact and bringing students together from diverse backgrounds to contribute to scientific excellence in the Mathematical Sciences, the Centre had undergone a massive transformation, recording many milestones.

Notable among them was AIMS Ghana’s rise to the position of a UNESCO Category II Centre of Excellence in 2018.

Since its inception in 2012, AIMS Ghana has graduated more than 400 students from 27 African countries, 33 per cent of whom are females.

The Pan- African Institute has built a research capacity for Africans in Pure and Applied Mathematics and remains an icon in contributing to scientific transformation in both academia and industry.

The programmes of AIMS are in line with the core objectives of UNESCO Category II Centre of Excellence and AIMS Global Network.

As part of the year-long celebration, there will be an Alumni Homecoming and a Public Lecture in honour of the patron/founder of the Centre - the late Professor Francis K. Allotey.

The 10th-anniversary logo was unveiled at the ceremony.

Read full article