Science: EkoExcel Emphasises Girl-child Education, Study of Science
EkoExcel recently commemorated the 2021 International Day of Women and Girls in Science, set aside by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), on February 11, to provide the right foundation for girls to pursue science.
Themed, ‘Women Scientists at the Forefront of the Fight Against COVID-19’, the day emphasised how the pandemic has shown the critical role of women researchers in different stages of the fight against COVID-19, from advancing the knowledge on the virus, to developing techniques for testing, and also creating the vaccine against the virus.
It also emphasised the gender disparity in the education system and girls and women participation in science which needed to be addressed by new policies, initiatives and mechanisms to support them.
The Chairman, Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Wahab Alawiye-King said the state government places a high premium on the education of children, noting that the board will ensure that no child is left behind in accessing quality education, especially the girl-child being the ‘mother of tomorrow’.
“EkoExcel is proud to be a paradigm shifting initiative meeting this challenge for Lagos through our curriculum which ensures age appropriate science lessons by providing the right foundation for the girl-child to study Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics( STEM).
He added that EkoExcel provides practical science experiments in class room lessons by enabling pupils to directly engage with the possibilities that science brings, ignite the kind of passions that start the journey of some of great women in science in the country.
Alawiye- King said the states’s EkoExcel educational transformational program is designed to make quality education available to all irrespective of socio-economic status making the education of the girl child more attractive and more accessible.
“The technology enhanced teaching and classroom management of EkoExcel enable teachers to identify and better support pupils including girls with natural STEM acumen. EkoExcel is proud to provide free quality education to all children in Lagos State, creating a path for girls and women in science which is especially critical for Nigeria’s development,”he said.