Ikorodu can produce 25,000 STEM graduates in five years, says Ogunlewe

Former Minister of Works, Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe, has said that if 50 per cent of students from the Ikorodu Division of Lagos State are encouraged to study science-oriented subjects, at least 25,000 Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) graduates would be produced in five years.

Ogunlewe, who stated this, at the weekend, during the fourth education stakeholders’ summit held in Ikorodu, said that according to research and documentation department, over 10,000 students from the area sit for West African Senior School Certificate Examination.

The former minister, who is Chairman, Ikorodu Division Resource Development Group (IDRDG), said that in an ever-changing and increasingly complex world, it is more important than ever that the youths are equipped with appropriate skills to demonstrate problem-solving, information analysis and evaluation of evidence to make right decisions.

In his welcome address, Chairman of Ikorodu Division Human Resources Development Board (IDHRDB), Emeritus Professor Kunle Ade Wahab, said the significance of STEM education in schools could not be over-emphasised as it teaches more than science and mathematics concepts.

He said the idea of the summit was berthed in 2009 after a survey of the education sector of the division was conducted by members of the board.

Also, in his paper, titled: “Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education (STEM): The Panacea for Nigeria’s participation in the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” a senior lecturer at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Dr. Waziri Adisa, said he hoped the country could still make giant strides in the world economy, using multi-prolonged approach to the implementation of STEM education.