The Pan-African Science Olympiad (PASO), Pan-African Mathematics Olympiads (PAMO), and Pan-African Mathematics Olympiads For Girls (PAMO-G) 2015 has been declared open at the ECOWAS secretariat in Abuja, on Monday August 24, 2015.
About 10 countries are going to participate in this year’s competition. Countries represented include, South Africa, Nigeria, Tunisia, Benin Republic, Burkina Faso, Cameroun, Ghana, Mali, Tanzania, Niger and Tunisia.
Each country is represented by six students (male and female a piece).
Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission, Prof. Julius Okojie call for the elevation of the teaching profession to a lucrative level so as to make mathematics easy for students to learn.
Citing Finland as an example of a country where people are often happy to pick up a teaching job, Prof. Okojie said that Nigeria must devise a means of teaching mathematics in an attractive way to children and students. He also called for improve teachers’ welfare
“We must devise a way of teaching mathematics while children and students play. Teachers are employed by political parties in power, and when the party vacates power, the teachers are sometime laid off. We also have a very high turnover of teachers. Welfare of teachers is also nothing to write home about,” he said.
Also present at the opening ceremony were Mallam Bimbis, Prof. A.T Solarin.
One of the invited guests who craved anonymity said he believes that the Nigerian contingent will perform and come out tops in the competition.
The competition is designed to identify and groom secondary school students gifted with exceptional knowledge in the sciences. The programme which is being run by the National Mathematical Centre, Nigeria, will run till August 29.
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