Ogun State Government has vowed to sustain its collaboration with private organisations on programmes geared toward improving teaching and learning activities in schools, to further enhance the standard of education in the State.

Commissioner for Education, Science, and Technology, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu made the commitment, while receiving the executive members of the Chemical Society of Nigeria (CSN), in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, affirming that the State could not afford to be left behind in adopting the new trend for educational development.

Arigbabu posited that the Public-Private Partnership initiative of the Prince Dapo Abiodun-led administration has been yielding better results in the sector, adding that the government has considered it paramount to organise regular training and workshops for teachers and practitioners, while also putting in place activities for learners to improve themselves.

He assured of the government’s resolve to partner with the association at improving the horizon of chemistry teachers across the State on 21st-century teaching skills.   

“It is not out of place to organise regular training and workshops for teachers and practitioners to improve their teaching skills, particularly in science subjects which some learners seem to run away from, probably due to the way it was presented to them”, the Commissioner submitted’’,

In his address, the Southwest Deputy Vice President, CSN, Dr. Isaac Sewanu Bankole said the association was created to protect the chemistry profession and also propagate the study and practices of chemistry in the country, adding that it encompasses subject teachers in secondary schools.

He pointed out that training and retraining of teachers would make them to be conversant with 21st-century skills of teaching chemistry, saying the partnership would tremendously improve learners’ scores in the subject.

In a related development, Prof. Arigbabu has identified technology as a tool needed to proffer solutions to social problems, improve ideas, innovation, and to tackle unemployment for better living.

Prof. Arigbabu made this known while playing host to the management team of the Technology Incubation Centre, Abeokuta, stating that learners at a young age should be enticed in the study of science and technology as instruments for self-development.

In his remark, the Centre Manager, Teaching Incubation Centre, Mr. Olusola Adebayo explained that the programme was a Federal Government initiative to nurture start-up and growth of new innovative businesses, to further stimulates entrepreneurship culture among the young ones.