The state of Taraba is experiencing a severe scarcity of science teachers, with Dr. Augustina Godwin, the commissioner for basic education in the state, expressing grave concern for the future of important fields like physics and chemistry.
The news broke during Godwin’s presentation at a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) teacher training session in Jalingo. The session was attended by educators from high schools all around the North-East region.
The state’s educational progress and the future production of professionals like doctors and engineers are jeopardised, according to the commissioner, due to the severe shortage of trained scientific teachers.
Teachers must immediately begin to motivate their pupils to major in science, she emphasised.
She warned that the tendency could have an impact on the state’s ability to train future professionals and that it was detrimental to the state’s progress.
In response, Godwin said that he will reorganise the guidance and counselling department with the goal of increasing awareness and encouraging more students to major in science or a related field.
Together with the All Nigeria Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools, her ministry will work to inspire children to pursue careers in science and technology, she promised.
The North-East Development Commission and the Office of the Vice President collaborated to organise the training program. Godwin commended the initiative, noting that continuous teacher training is essential for improving classroom delivery, strengthening STEMA education, and enhancing learning outcomes.
The initiative aims to support educators in the states of Gombe, Bauchi, Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, and Taraba, according to Mariam Masha, who is the senior special assistant to the president on regional development.
She went on to say that President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda is in line with the program.
Masha added that the programme is designed to bridge educational gaps and equip teachers with digital and technical skills needed for effective teaching in a 21st-century economy.
“The programme enhances teachers’ capacity to integrate technology into teaching methods to boost education outcomes in the region,” she said.