The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Perfect Series Publications, Pastor Philip Sarpong, has made a passionate appeal to teachers and parents to encourage their wards to develop genuine interest and love for Mathematics, stressing its critical role in every stage of a student’s educational journey.
Speaking at the 2nd Edition of the Perfect Series Basic Schools Assessment Contest (Northern Sector Semi-Finals) held in Kumasi, Pastor Sarpong lamented the increasing fear and disinterest students have towards Mathematics, which has resulted in poor performance in examinations.
“Mathematics has become one of the subjects most Ghanaian students find difficult to understand and even pass. The reason is that many think it’s a reading subject, so they just read it like any other course instead of solving and practicing it through calculation,” he said.
Pastor Sarpong stressed that although Mathematics is a core subject and thus compulsory at all levels of education, the focus should not only be on compulsion but on building affection for the subject through consistent practice.
“My advice to teachers and parents is that they should let learners dedicate love for the subject and let them work it without letting them read it. Once the love is developed, the understanding will naturally follow,” he added.
The Northern Sector Semi-Finals of the contest brought together ten schools from across the Ashanti Region, including Bosomtwe STEM Academy, Reverence Preparatory School, Konadu Educational Complex, Unique Educational Complex, among others.
The Perfect Series Basic Schools Education Assessment Competition was initiated to promote reading habits among children and empower them to face societal challenges.
In a related development, Pastor Sarpong commended the government for its commitment to extending the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy to private SHS institutions.
“It’s a very good initiative from the government to include private schools in the Free SHS Policy because they produce a lot of learners, and at the end, there should be a place for them to be fixed,” he noted.
He, however, advised that the implementation should be done thoroughly with seriousness and proper resource allocation, rather than “just anyhow.”
By; Nana Yaw Owusu – Ashanti Region (0240782639)
