MATHEMATICS IMPROVEMENT
Over the years, the centre in an attempt to revamp mathematics teaching and learning at the lower level, has successfully researched into the causes and remedies for the abysmal failures in WASC, SSCE and JAMB mathematics examination. It has discovered that poor performance in the promotion/public examinations in mathematics has more to do with the methods of teaching than the content of curricula of the school mathematics.
It is this empirical background that necessitated and spurred the Centre's MIP project to create a new teaching methodology to enhance student's performance in mathematics. The scheme is an integration of several vital interactive variables such as the content, the student, the mathematical environment, the teacher and the instruction
The vision of the NMC MIP is to improve the teaching and learning of school mathematics with a view to jumpstarting greater performances measurable by the number of credit passes in the public mathematics examination by students in all secondary schools in Nigeria as a foundation for capacity building and manpower development for Nigeria as well as all school mathematics teachers in Nigerian secondary schools.
The set target is 50% increase in the credit passes at SSCE, WASCE, NECO and JAMB mathematics examinations and within two years in the model schools while the set target date is two years.
This project will be tried out in some schools in each state of the Federation. Each selected pilot school is expected to satisfy the condition of teacher adequacy, while the Centre will use a moving z-score technique to determine the efficiency of the MIP. Over a decade now, the Centre has written, tried and perfected the teaching modules for secondary school teachers and pupil books which are to be used as NMC MIP Text books and instruction guidelines along with other textbook published by Mathematical Association of Nigeria (MAN).
The Centre will organize periodically Training, Workshops, and courses for teachers of mathematics in the selected schools using the NMC Teaching Modules and monitoring as well as evaluating the scheme.
The input, out, mechanism, feedback and resources components of the MIP instructional systems will be used as a framework for the examination of the MIP. The Centre has already perfected the teaching modules, which are being published for distribution to participating schools. However, the following are still required.
1.. Mass-producing several copies for teachers use throughout the country;
2. Mass-producing the accompanying students workbook in large quantities;
3. Regular monitoring of the pilot scheme/schools to ensure compliance with the guidelines, hence, the need for project monitoring vehicles;
4. Adequate media publicity of the MIP project; and
5. Provision of computers in the selected schools as a further impetus for the learning of mathematics.
The budget commitment of the Mathematical Improvement Project (MIP) to be established in every State of the Federation is estimated at a total cost of N500 million.
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MATHEMATICAL GAMES FOR PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS PROJECT
The production of mathematical games is one of the strategies being employed by the Centre to improve the teaching and learning of mathematics in both the primary and secondary school levels.
The objectives of the mathematical games are stated in behavioral, clear and unambiguous manner and are related to the topics contents. Materials used for the games include cards, cardboard, marking pencil, cards with numbers and bottle taps, etc.
The Centre has, over the years, developed ninety (90) mathematical games, which have been edited and recommended for use in our schools but due to lack of funds, the publication and mass production for use in all schools in the country have not been possible. Some of the advantages of the mathematical games to the study of mathematics include:
1 Enriching the mathematics vocabulary'
2. Introducing new ideas;
3 Allowing for individual differences;
4 Use of good mathematical games can aid the review variety of skills and to reinforce them;
5 Generation of interest and excitement about learning mathematics;
6. Improvement of study habits;
7. Developing positive attitude; and
8 Developing sense of competitiveness with mathematical motivational potency as well as skills into competitive strategy.
The Centre is therefore requesting organizations/individuals to sponsor the mass production of the mathematical games, sponsor workshops for the training of teachers on the use of the mathematical games both within and outside the country and to sponsor the distribution of the mathematical games to other African countries.
We have sampled the prices of some publishers and printers on the cost of the production of the games boards and game manual booklets. However, the higher the number, the lower the price and total cost. The project is estimated to cost N50 million
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TEACHING MODULES FOR PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS PROJECT
The Centre has designed the mathematics teaching modules to address the problems of what to teach and how to teach mathematics in schools. They are lesson notes to guide the teachers in effective and efficient teaching revealing the background in formation of the topics, teaching materials needed, teaching procedure and the evaluation procedure.
The NMC Mathematics Teaching Modules is the first and best - developed modules in Africa to date covering the curriculum for the primary school mathematics, secondary school mathematics and further mathematics. Unfortunately, due to lack of funds, the teaching modules are yet to be mass-produced for use in our school system to improve the image of the teaching and learning of mathematics
The modules have been adjudged to be capable of enabling teachers handle teaching more effectively, also to be able to improve the performances of students in mathematics through improved strategies and also to arouse and sustain the interest of teachers and students in the teaching and learning of mathematics.
The cost estimate for the full development and production of the Mathematics Teaching Modules for Primary and Secondary School Teachers Project nationwide is N50 million
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RESEARCH-ORIENTED COURSES
Research-Oriented Courses in Mathematics, Theoretical Physics, Statistics and Mathematics Education have been introduced at the National Mathematical Centre since its establishment. These are founded on the foundation post-graduate courses of the Centre but are specialized lectures, which are research-oriented meant to upgrade post-graduate students in the field of mathematical sciences to a level where they would start to understand research papers. In addition, participants are exposed to more advanced topics in specific research fields usually programmed with follow-up lectures and opportunities for research supervision leading to the award of university Ph. D
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GEN. SHEHU MUSA YAR ADUA COMPUTER VILLAGE
The Gen. Shehu Musa Yar'Adua computer Village project is designed to create a Computer village environment conducive for the teaching and learning of Computers, Information and Communications Technologies second to none in Nigeria, where primary and secondary school pupils/students can spend their vacations to have practical hands-on-the -computers with little or no inhibitions and an unlimited access to the world of virtual library through internet connectivity. It is hoped that this could jumpstart capacity and manpower development for Nigeria on the bottom-up concept.
All computer teachers in Nigerian secondary schools and computer experts/enthusiasts are included in the target group.
The proposed Gen. Yar'Adua Computer Village will have, Hostels for students, Computer classrooms and other buildings, equipment and facilities.
We are requesting individuals and organizations to consider the donation of Hostel blocks, Computer rooms and Virtual Library Halls to be named appropriately. We have a number of designs. This project is estimated to cost N400 million.
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THE NATIONAL INCENTIVE SCHEME PROJECT
The incentive scheme was introduced in 1991/92 with a seed grant of N1.25 million by the Federal Ministry of Education. This was informed by the urgent need to arouse and motivate the interest of pupils, students and teachers in the teaching and learning of mathematics at all levels.
The scheme includes incentives such as partial scholarship awards, certificates of merit, book prizes, etc for pupils, students and teachers of mathematics/institutions that have attained a measure of excellence in the teaching and learning of mathematics at all levels.
Under this scheme, the Centre conducts an annual national competitive examination in mathematics at primary and post primary and tertiary levels and undoubtedly, this has made mathematics more popular.
Performance in the examination forms the basis for the selection of candidates for incentive packages at the primary and secondary schools levels.
Each state of the Federation including Abuja is required to enter not more than (30) thirty candidates from every Local Government Area of the State for each level of examination. Approved private schools and command schools are allowed to enter not more than five candidates each at the two levels.
The scheme provides that fifteen (15) best pupils and ten (10) best students at primary six and secondary schools JSS II levels respectively in each state receive incentive packages as follows;
i. Secondary school partial scholarship worth N2000 per session for JSS III and primary six winners;
ii A book prize of N500 for each scholarship winner at both levels;
iii A certificate of merit to all candidates who score not less than 60% at both levels;
iv. A certificate of Teaching Efficiency to each teacher and each school that produce at least one scholarship winners at each level; and
v. A book prize worth N2000 for each primary and each secondary school that produce not less than two scholarship winners.
The primary six scholarship winner will continue to receive the partial scholarship of N2000 per session for three consecutive sessions until the end of JSS III provide that they gained admission into an approved secondary school and continue to be in regular attendance.
The JSS III winners will continue to receive the partial scholarship of N2000 per session for three consecutive session to the end of SS III provided that they continue to be in regular attendance at approved secondary schools.
Between 1994 and 2001, a total of 6,925 students/pupils have been awarded partial scholarship awards.
The Higher Education scholarship scheme is for those wishing to read mathematics or mathematics education at any Nigeria University, College of Education or Polytechnic leading to any of the following qualifications; B. Sc Ed; NCE.
To qualify for consideration, a candidate must score not less than 60 in mathematics in the relevant JAMB examination (UME, PCE or Poly JAMB) and must have been offered admission by a Nigerian University, College of Education or Polytechnic to read mathematics or mathematics education at either the first degree level or NCE level. Candidates with GPA of 3.0 and above could also apply.
The award attracts N5000 per session for any successful candidate and such a candidate may continue to receive the award every session if they maintain a GPA of not less than 3.0. Between 1991/92 and 2001/2002, over 1,500 undergraduate students have benefited from the award.
Over the years, the Centre has received favourable reports that the Annual National Incentive Scheme especially its competitive examinations have helped to rekindle the interest of pupils, students and teachers in mathematics, brought public awareness of the need to study mathematics and encouraged healthy competition among students thereby leading to better performance in mathematic generally.
However, the laudable scheme is faced with grossly inadequate funds for its execution. For instance, the awards are still too meager just as the awardees are every small for each State. The scheme is equally faced with the danger of abandonment as government has withdrawn further grants to the Centre for the scheme. Participation in the examination is very limited due to inadequate funding. Many local government areas in the remote corners have not yet felt the impact because of inadequate funding.
The Centre is working very hard to review the scheme so as to ensure that it is not abandoned; the amount to beneficiaries is increased and adequate media publicity is given to the scheme.
However, the funds available in the past from the NUC are no longer forthcoming and we are requesting individuals and organizations to consider donations of seed fund for the Scheme under the NMC Endowment Fund to be named appropriately.
At the current scholarship rates and beneficiaries, the Centre needs about N50 million for the scheme. However, in view of the need to increase the rates, the number of beneficiaries for meaningful impact and in the interest of technological development of the nation, the Centre needs about N100 million annually to sustain the Scheme.
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MATHEMATICS BY TELEVISION
This project is aimed at improving the teaching and learning of mathematics through television. Our findings have shown that the real problem of the study of mathematics is with the way teachers handle mathematics and student attitude to it. In other words, poor performance of students in promotion/public examinations in mathematics has more to do with the methods of teaching than the content of the subject.
The Mathematics By Television project is designed to demystify mathematics as a monster; present it as student-friendly assist students perform considerably better in their examination and to assist students to better cope with the demands of the subject in order to enhance their career prospects and development.
The target audience is the Junior Secondary school because they are still at a very impressionable stage in their mental development and are more receptive to modem methods and trends.
The Centre believes that the Mathematics By Television programme will also assist in developing students and teachers/schools interest in mathematics; reverse the negative attitude of students to mathematics, define the place and influence of mathematics in every day life, and assist students in appreciating mathematics as a critical subject in their education development.
Other objectives of the project include to popularize the need to study mathematics to student, save students from academic drowning by positioning mathematics as a life wire; encourage more and more students to take interest in the subject; promote technological development of the country and boast the state of mathematics and mathematical sciences in Nigerian schools.
Most locally - produced educational teaching programme on television in the country have not been successful because they have essentially been a transposition of the classroom on to the screen
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MODELING OF DISEASES RESEARCH GROUP (NMC-MMDRG)
Every since the discovery of Human Immune Deficiency Virus (HIV) in 1981 and the associated Acquire Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) the world has been trust into pandemonium and researchers have been spending sleepless nights seeking the solution to HIV AIDS scourge. The consolation prize won by researchers and stakeholders, in the solution to the pandemic is the development of anti-retroviral drugs, the joy of which is gradually outliving its usefulness, since the HIV is now developing resistance to the antiretroviral drugs and the cardiovascular problem associated with the use of the drugs.
The World Health Organization (WHO), the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN), the United State Agency for International Development (USAID), the Department of International Development (DFID), 09, and many multilateral organization and NGO"s are concern greatly about the solution of HIV/AID's, Tuberculosis, Malaria and perhaps latently potent ones are genetic related diseases. The genetic related diseases speared not to be on WHO's total eradication agenda but yet there is a global need to fight genetic diseases.
The growth of HIV/AIDs; tuberculosis, malaria, genetic disease are growing in the very alarming rate that calls for scale-up of effort and resources to fight these diseases. Someone may not necessarily understand why collaborative efforts is needed in fighting these diseases, perhaps, if we consider the demographic update it will illuminate the gloomy situation of the diseases;
* HIV pandemics stood at 5.8% sero-positive prevalence rate in Nigeria with 120 million people (2002 estimate), that is to say over 3 million Nigerian adults are said to have been infected with HIV and by 2010 it is projected that between 50 million and 75 million Nigerians will have HIV infection as revealed by the USA National Intelligence as Agency.
* WHO estimated that 33% of the world population is infected by Tuberculosis (TB) and about 8 million people die annually from TB majority of it from African and East Asia. The risk of infection is higher among children with 50-80% infection profile.
* Recent trends revealed that Africans and both East Asians are now suffering from Haemoglobin disorder-Sickle Cell Aneamia and Thalassemia, it is estimated that approximately 70% of the world population are estimated to be carriers of such disorders and that 300,000- 400,000 babies with severe font is of these disorders are born annually. It is estimated that 6-24% Nigerians have heanotobin which is responsible for Sickle Cell Aneamia and 1% aneamia BThalassaemia, and 11-50% of + Thalasseamia;
* Malaria is perhaps one of the worst diseases that has claimed several lives, several variety of strains of malaria parasite are prevalent which are resistant to drugs and are claiming lives of people in Nigeria especially children. Perhaps, there is no worst disease in Nigeria that reduces the man-hour of workers like malaria. This prompt former Minister of Health Dr. Tim Mainakaya to refer to malaria infection and treatment as "payment of tax".
Considering the above demographic analysis, then which way forward? the former American President Bill Clinton, when he came to Nigeria in 2000 suggested that research is the solution to health problem especially HIV/AIDS scourge.
It is, therefore, imperative to form a partnership (collaboration) among researchers and stakeholders. This essentially involves mobilization of research efforts and resources to punctuate the growth of the diseases.
Mathematical Modeling is an act of relating mathematics to real life problems. Mathematical Models, in the past, were used to eradicate smallpox, and it can also be use to obtain firsthand information about signal processing of neurons and Genome. In medicine, it offers information on the dynamics of diseases and also the morphology, parthenogenesis, demographic and epidemiological impact of diseases (disease burden) on people just to mention a few.
At the NMC, the Director and chief executive Professor Sam Ale, mni, has constituted a research group known as (NMC-MMDRG) that has designed a blue print on how to:
1. Obtain a reliable data to be used for obtaining information of prevalence, incidence and mortality rates of diseases like HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and Malaria etc;
2. Scale up public/community responses to the prevention and to support victims of the diseases are being conducted;
3. Formulate policies to reduce the prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria from 5.8% (2001 estimated) by 25% to 50% reduction;
4. Reduce tuberculosis and malaria growth rates;
5. Conduct research on genome of parasite responsible for the diseases stated above;
6 Conduct research sickle cell aneamia, thalessamia and other tropical diseases
7. Develop a software for projection of the spread of the diseases;
8. Develop a geographical information system (GIS) for the diseases;
9. Respond to any emerging challenge that may be of National or global interest;
10. Use results obtained from the models developed to suggest the possible intervention strategy.
The Mathematical Models for solution of HIV/AIDS, Sickle Cell, Tuberculosis and other related African diseases project is estimated to cost N100 million
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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT) APPLICATIONS IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION PROJECT
The Centre intends to create four pilot technical computing projects in four Universities in Nigeria and a Coordinating Centre at the Centre. Training will be organized centrally in several areas of technical computing, network management and system set up. Workshops and schools will be coordinated by the Centre in producing the courseware required at various times. Computers and Network will be provided for each participant. The networking of the computers will be implemented as a work project involving students/staff of the participating Institutions.
Each participating institution will be made to provide about 10% of the fund required for implementation of the project. This will be in form of generating sets, air-conditioning and other relevant infrastructure.
Funding of the project can be given in stages and based on satisfactory level of preparedness in the provision of suitable space air conditioning and generating sets to qualify for the support. However, the support of corporate bodies, well meaning Nigerians will go a long way to enable the expansion of the project to all states of the Federation.
The project is estimated to cost N100 million.
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THE MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES LIBRARY PROJECT
This is the Virtual Library in practice and is an exposure to a pool of learning resources in virtual reality through electronic connectivity.
The Centre intends to extend a network to the primary and secondary schools from the Centre in virtual electronic format.
However, we need the building from where to launch such a network and the equipment with which to launch the services.
The Centre therefore requires the support and collaboration of the private sector and the NGO's and other organizations in form of endowments to achieve its objectives.
The Mathematical Sciences Library Project is estimated to cost N300 million.
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TRAINING OF COMPUTER SCIENCE TEACHERS FOR NIGERIAN SCHOOLS
This is capacity building training of Computer Science Teachers for Nigerian Schools. Under this project. Teachers is secondary schools are to be trained in computer Education. This project is estimated to N100 million
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THE NMC 1000 SEAT CONFERENCE CENTRE COMPLEX PROJECT
This is infrastructural development in fulfillment of its mandate to provide facilities for Scientific Conference Symposia, Seminars, Workshops etc. This includes Bank Halls, Shopping facilities, Rentable offices, Restaurants etc. It is estimated at a cost of N400 million
The total for these projects is 2.3 billion
To achieve all the above objectives, the Centre needs the financial support of the various levels of government, corporate bodies, well meaning Nigerians and friends of the Centre.
Our present level of finding is grossly inadequate to achieve such laudable goals. This has motivated the Centre to endow a 2.3billion NMC Projects on January 21, 2003 at the Permanent Site in Sheda, Kwali Local Government Area, Abuja
We are committed to preparing Nigeria for a leading role in the mathematical sciences and believe that the Endowment is a modest and worthwhile investment to make for thee future development of mathematical sciences and the creation of a sound scientific base for our country and for succeeding generations.
We ask that those who share this vision should support us in our efforts to tackle national set goals in the development of the mathematical sciences..
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