President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the Scientific Equipment Development Institute (SEDI), Minna in Niger State, to produce laboratory equipment to improve teaching and learning, according to Prof. Mohammed Baba Ndaliman, the institute’s managing director.
As he gave the kits produced by the institute to a chosen group of primary and secondary schools in Niger State, Ndaliman dropped a clue.
He said the president had also charged the institute to develop systems for the mass production of scientific equipment for research, industries, and higher institutions.
The SEDI boss said the institute is charged with measuring and controlling instruments for electrical electronics, mechanical workshops, and artisans among others.
On its mandate, he said the institute had lived up to its responsibilities by evolving several kits for science practicals in schools, adding that there is the challenge of a low level of awareness among stakeholders.
Ndaliman said the institute has donated Primary Science Kits (PSK), Junior Science Kits (JSK) Senior Science Kits (SSK), and Mathematical Kits to schools in Niger State, saying that the beneficiaries were selected based on available data indicating that the schools had advanced in using the kits produced by the institute.
He said the institute would put up a monitoring system to get feedback on the performance of the distributed kits by the teachers and through monitoring of examination results of the common entrance, West African Examinations Council, and National Examinations Council of the user schools.
Also, He said the kits which were of various science subjects including Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Introductory Technology, Integrated Science, and Mathematics among others were produced at the cost of N6.4 million.
The commissioner for education in Niger State, Hannatu Jibril Salihu, said that the production and donation of kits to schools by the institute would go a long way in improving the teaching and learning of sciences in the state.